


Imaginary Numbers

by Isa_Iadel



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Genocide, M/M, Mind melds, Murder, Rough Trade, Spock and Sarek don't communicate well, Tarsus IV, Tiberius Kirk is a badass, and so is Amanda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-16
Updated: 2015-04-11
Packaged: 2018-01-12 15:28:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 37,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1190235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isa_Iadel/pseuds/Isa_Iadel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There were those who understood men like Governor Kodos well enough to know what was coming and they made plans.  But how long can they survive when the Federation doesn't believe the rumors of famine and genocide?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There are a couple of original characters in this story, but Kevin Riley, Thomas Leighton and Martha Leighton are characters from the original series.
> 
> For those of you who originally read this on RoughTrade... I've made some changes (improvements, I hope) to the story. I'm also recasting Kevin and Ely, so there won't be any art for a little while.
> 
> Do not reproduce

** Imaginary Numbers **

 

**Prologue**

 

They came for the expendable on a sunny Wednesday and the Revolution officially began.

 

Some had known it was coming and kept silent because they were afraid or because they agreed. Others suspected that something was coming, but never anticipated that they were about to witness the darkest side of the human heart.  Fewer still, many of whom were called traitors or paranoid, watched the Governor of Tarsus IV and understood the lengths to which men like him will often go to well enough to prepare for what he might do.

 

Tiberius Kirk had spent far too long working in Starfleet Intelligence to be ignorant of the ugliness people were capable of when they were scared or when they were greedy.  And Governor Kodos was both.  He was a man used to a certain kind of lifestyle and when he wasn’t able to use the Colony to advance that, he did not react well.

 

His appointment to the post of Governor had occurred when the previous Governor wished to retire.  The retirement had come somewhat unexpectedly, but that still did not entirely account for why the Federation circumvented their normal voting process.  There were some concerns at first, however Kodos took the governorship at a time of prosperity for the Colony and most people saw no reason to complain.  It was obvious that this appointment was just a stop for him on the way to a grander political post, and no one anticipated he would stay longer than a few years.

 

For all that their lives were good and people got by on what they had, it wasn’t enough for Governor Kodos.  He surrounded himself with like-minded bourgeois and ignored all rational argument when he decided to release an untested fertilizer on the Colony’s crops.  At first it seemed like it would do what it was intended and Kodos crowed against those who were skeptical, but then the crops began to die. The wind carried the spores of the fungus and everything it touched collapsed into nothingness.   The prospect of the next winter was going to be alarming even before the drought came and the few fields they had managed to save from the fungus were taken by thirst. 

 

And then the people began to panic.  How would they all make it through the winter with so little food?

 

Tiberius Kirk watched his grandson and cursed himself a selfish old fool for forcing Winona to send him the boy after Jim had gotten into a spot of trouble with the Riverside police involving an incident with a car that he still didn’t fully understand.  Jim roused himself from where he was sprawled out on the couch in the living room, thumbing through a paper book Tiberius had gifted him upon his arrival four months ago, at a knock to the door.

 

Kevin Riley entered house and greeted Jim with a fist bump before turning to Tiberius and handing him a small basket of apples that he had probably taken without permission from his parents grove, “Hey, General.”

 

“Good evening, Kevin,” Tiberius replied.  He knew he ought to discourage the boy from coming over, he wasn’t yet thirteen, but he couldn’t seem to find the words.  He knew that Jim had counseled Kevin to be cautious about his association with the Kirk’s, especially because his parents were loyal and Jim was anxious about losing one of the only friends he had on the colony.  But Kevin was like a boomerang and Tiberius worried that without an outlet for his frustrations, the boy would run his mouth in front of the wrong people.  Tiberius sighed a little, but smiled as he accepted the apples, “Thank you.”

 

Kevin grinned at him before dropping beside Jim on the couch and sprawling in a way that only a teenager could manage, “What’s that?”

 

Jim smiled happily at the question and carefully handed Kevin the book.  “Tiberius gave it to me,” he said with a hint of pride in his tone that made Tiberius smile.  “It was my dad’s.”

 

“Sweet,” Kevin replied, gently opening the book by touching the cover with the tips of his fingers.  “Can I look through it?”

 

“Yeah, of course,” Jim replied. 

 

Kevin thumbed through the tome carefully, nodding to himself as he read, “I like this.”

 

Jim nodded eagerly, “I know, right?  Here let me show you my favorite essay.”

 

Tiberius was painfully reminded of George and for a moment it hurt to breath, but seeing his youngest son alive and happy eased most of his grief over George Kirk’s death.

 

Kevin was quiet for a moment as he read, before he cast an entirely unsubtly glance to check if Tiberius was paying attention before turning to whisper to Jim.  “Are the Leighton’s coming?”

 

Jim snickered quietly, but nodded at the question, “Yeah, supposedly.”

 

The next person to arrive was Emma Nowicki, and she did so by appearing abruptly at the edge of the forest, sneaking into the backyard, and letting herself into the house without bothering to knock.  Tiberius smiled at her, looking her over to ensure that she was all right.  Emma had been a farmhand where the first of the crops had succumbed to the fungus and despite orders from the government to keep her mouth shut, she’d come to public meeting with the Governor and told everyone who would listen what had happened.  It was only because of her that the devastation of the fungus became widely known.  Kodos had reacted swiftly, denouncing her as a liar and a traitor and ordered her arrested for perjury.  Despite that she was barely eighteen, she’d managed to evade the dozens of Militiamen searching for her with little difficultly.

 

“General.”

 

“Emma,” he smiled and lifted the basket of apples he still held towards her.

 

She took an apple and bit into it quickly, “thanks,” she said to him quietly, before turning her attention to boys.

 

“Punk,” she greeted Jim, before turning a teasing grin on Kevin, “mini punk.”

 

Kevin stuck his tongue out at her, but what would probably have been a highly entertaining argument was diverted by a knock at the door.  Jim beat him to the door, opening it to reveal Hoshi Sato and Takashi Kimura.  Taka greeted Jim by messing his hair before moving into the house to shake Tiberius’ hand and greet Kevin and Emma.  Hoshi lingered by the front door for a while, joking with Jim in a language that wasn’t English, but Tiberius wasn’t close enough to try and guess what it was.

 

“How’s school going, Jimmy?” Hoshi asked.

 

Jim made a face, “Principal Molson is such a hassle,” he replied.  “But I guess it isn’t too bad.  Not as boring as Earth at least.”

 

She slung her around his shoulders, “Keep your chin up, kid.”

 

A face peering around the not entirely shut front door interrupted Jim’s reply, “Can I come in too?”

 

“Hi, Ely,” Jim opened the door fully and closed it once twelve year old Ely Leighton was inside.  “Is it okay to come here so openly?”

 

“No one pays attention to anything I do,” she said easily.  “Is Kevin here?”

 

“On the couch,” Jim replied with a hint of amusement in his tone. 

 

Ely waved hello to everyone before joining Kevin on the couch, the two of them smiling happily, and eagerly joined him in looking over the book.

 

Her parents, Thomas and Martha Leighton, were the last to come and like Emma they came through the backyard and entered the house by the backdoor.  Both carried sacks of food that they gave to Tiberius.  Emma, Kevin, Jim and Ely quickly banned the adults from the kitchen, laughing loudly as they messed around in the process of putting together dinner.  Tiberius lingered for a moment, happy to see them so relaxed, before joining the Leighton’s, Hoshi and Taka in the living room.  Neither of the Leighton’s looked particularly well, exhaustion spread in lines across their faces, but Thomas specifically looked deeply concerned. 

 

Though they were part of Kodos’ inner circle, the man rarely listened to either of them, and Tiberius was well aware of the risks they took to work against him even in secret.  Thomas in particular was in a precarious position because he had cautioned the Governor not to use the fertilizer and Kodos was not pleased to be so publically proven wrong.

 

Taka leaned forward, pausing for a moment longer to ensure that the teenagers were fully occupied in the kitchen, “Thomas, what’s wrong?”

 

“I don’t know,” he admitted, his voice hoarse with exhaustion.  “But something is up.  He’s gathered almost all of the Militiamen in the Capital, but I don’t know why.  How are we doing on the bunkers?”

 

Tiberius had secured access to a series of old bunkers deep in the forest that the Government had long forgotten about and done his best to make them livable for Emma and others who were targeted for speaking out against the Government and needed to hide.  He did not doubt that soon he would send Jim there and join him when the situation was unsalvageable.  Despite his skepticism, he still had hope that there was a way to turn away from the dark road Kodos seemed determined to take them down.

 

“Eight of them are livable,” Tiberius admitted.  “It won’t be comfortable, there is just enough water for drinking and you really don’t want to know about the sanitation situation, but it will work in a pinch.  Why?”

 

“I don’t know what he’s planning, but I’m worried.  Whatever it is, it’s going to happen soon and it’s going to be bad.  He’s been going on and on about a Revolution incessantly…. And you need to be prepared that they’re going to come for you,” Thomas cautioned Tiberius, lowering his voice before continuing, “I think you should consider sending Jim somewhere else.”

 

“I’d rather not send him into hiding, but I don’t want him caught in the crossfire if Kodos sends his thugs for me.”

 

Hoshi leaned forward, “Are you sure you can’t get him off planet?”

 

“I’m sure,” Tiberius replied, bitterness in his tone.  “His mother thinks I’m a paranoid crackpot and she isn’t eager to let him go back now that she’s finally rid of him.  She had his documents flagged, I can’t get Jim on a interplanetary transport without her authorization and she won’t give it.”

 

“Rid of him?” Hoshi demanded.  “Jim is a wonderful boy, why would she ever want to be rid of him?”

 

“I don’t know the full of it and I’m wary of asking him,” Tiberius admitted.  “I wanted to wait until he felt comfortable enough to talk to me about it.”

 

“He can stay with us,” Taka spoke up and Hoshi nodded her agreement.

 

“Let him come stay with us for a bit,” Hoshi said, “He’ll be out of the way if anything happens, but if things calm down he can come back in a few days.”

 

Tiberius nodded slowly, “I’ll talk to him about it tomorrow.”

 

Tuesday ended with a nice, if modest, dinner between the Kirk’s and their friends and Wednesday came like it was just another day.  It was sunny, though with a hint of a breeze that let it be known that summer would not last forever.

 

Jim sat in the small backyard of his grandfather’s house, relaxed in a small swinging chair and watching as Kevin paced anxiously before him.  The younger boy was uncommonly fidgety, and it took Jim a moment to recall what might be bothering him.

 

“Are you nervous for school tomorrow?  I don’t mind listening if you want to practice your speech.”

 

“Really?” Kevin stilled briefly and turned his attention to Jim.  “You sure?”

 

Jim shrugged, “Go on.  Lets hear it.”

 

"Okay.”  Kevin took a deep breath and visibly steeled himself, standing straight and still directly before Jim as he began to speak.  “Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience then? I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law-”

 

“Sorry,” Jim said gently, standing as he interrupted Kevin, “Have you chosen to recite excepts of _Civil Disobedience_ for your speech?  Principal Molson will have a stroke.”

 

Kevin nodded, “Yeah, I saw it in your book yesterday.  I found a copy of it in the library database.”

 

He shook his head, “Kevin, your parents already think my Grandfather is an agitator,” Jim cautioned.  On one hand, he sort of wanted to laugh because it was perfect and it would really ruffle some feathers. But after weeks of food shortages, people were anxious and panicky.  The Colony was deeply divided.  “You give this speech in school and they’ll never let you over here again.  And I’m pretty sure Thoreau is on the banned list anyway.”

 

“He is not!” Kevin insisted as he crossed his arms.  “I checked.”

 

“If he isn’t, than it’s an oversight,” Jim said, and hated himself a little for what he said to his friend.  Things had changed on Tarsus in the months since he came to live with his grandfather.  Months ago, before the threats of a famine, life on Tarsus had been no different than life on any other planet in Federation Space.  But then the fungus had come, and the drought.  There wasn’t enough food and people were scared.   There were panicked whispers that there was no hope of aid from the Federation and there wasn’t going to be enough food for everyone to survive the winter.  “If you talk like this in public, you’re going to get into a world of trouble.”

 

“But the General says stuff like that all the time,” Kevin objected.

 

“You know he wasn’t really a General, right?” Jim said.  “And anyway, just because he can get away with that kind of stuff doesn’t mean everyone can.”

 

“But he’s right, Jimmy,” Kevin corrected, “We’ve become so convinced that the Governor must know what’s best because he’s the Governor, which is _stupid_ , that we aren’t even really thinking about what he’s saying.  I want to give this speech because I want people to think more like people and less like sheep!  I thought you’d approve.”

 

“You’re my best friend, Kevin,” Jim said after a minute.  “People already say I’m a bad influence on you.  It’s not that I disagree with you, because I don’t, but if you say things like this in public you’re going to catch the attention of people it would probably be better to avoid.  You’re going to be branded a subversive.”

 

“So you think I should chose a different speech?” Kevin asked quietly.

 

“No,” Jim said.  “I agree with you.”  He sighed, “But people call my Grandfather a subversive.  They call him a traitor because he speaks out against Kodos.  I’m not saying you should chose a different speech, but be aware that there are consequences to taking a stand.”

 

“Even if it’s the right thing to do?”

 

“Especially if it’s the right thing to do,” Jim said.  “And its total bullshit, but you need to be aware of the consequences.”

 

“I don’t care what people say about me.  I don’t want to be like my parents,” Kevin said.  “All they do is say we should trust the Governor.  They’ve stuck their heads in the sand because they’d rather just wait for the whole thing to blow over than have the guts to say this is wrong.  What you’re doing is wrong!”

 

“Kevin-”

 

“Kodos is treating us like a herd and now that times are hard he can just cull the weak ones out like they don’t mean anything.  Every time I hear him speak about the genetically superior and the more valued members of society, I want to vomit.”

 

“Keep going.”

 

“What?”

 

Jim retook his seat on the swing, “Keep going.  I want to hear the rest.”

 

“Okay.  Umm… right.  It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is-”

 

The sound of the bell from the house interrupted him.  Everyone they knew knocked and the sound of the bell briefly alarmed him.  Jim and Kevin both moved towards the house, but just as they reached the back door the front door was kicked in.  Five armed members of the New Tarsan Militia entered the house and at the sight of them Jim grabbed Kevin by the arm and pulled him away from the door.  They crouched against the side of the house, Jim’s grip on Kevin’s arm tight despite that his friend hadn’t tried to move away.

 

“Why are they here?” Kevin whispered.

 

“They’re probably just looking for my Grandfather.  There have been rumors he might get arrested for sedition,” Jim whispered back.  “You should go.  You can take the path through the woods to get home.”

 

“I don’t want to leave you.”

 

“Damn it, Kevin, you have to go.  Now.”

 

Two of the Militiamen came out the backdoor; their weapons raised the moment their eyes landed on James and Kevin.  “Names?”

 

Jim stood, pulling Kevin up and keeping himself slightly in front of his friend.  “James Tiberius Kirk.”

 

One of them smirked a little at his reply, “Well, well.  James _Tiberius_ Kirk.  At least we found one of them.  And you, kid?” He asked, turning his attention to Kevin.

 

“Kevin Riley.”

 

The second Militiamen lowered his weapon to briefly consult a datapad, “Him too.”

 

“Him too what?” Jim demanded suspiciously.  “Do you have a warrant?  Because you can’t just enter a private home and-”

 

But the other Militiamen were joining them, moving to stand around them in a circle.  “Start with the Kirk brat.”

 

“If you’re looking for my Grandfather, he isn’t here,” Jim said.

 

“Doesn’t matter where he is,” one of them replied.  “We’ll find him soon enough.”

 

“Stop wasting time.  We have a long list and I don’t want to spend all day doing this,” another sneered.

 

“Fine,” the first one spoke.  “James _Tiberius_ Kirk.   The Revolution is successful. But survival depends on drastic measures. Your continued existence represents a threat to the well being of society.  Your life means a slow death to the more valued members of the colony.  Therefore, I have no alternative but to sentence you to death. Your execution is so ordered due to the treason and sedition of your family.  You may not appeal this sentence, signed Kodos, Governor of Tarsus IV.  Do you understand your sentence as I have explained it to you?”

 

“Fuck off and die.”

 

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he replied.  “Any last words?”

 

Jim forced himself to breath.  There were so many things he wished he’d said or done and those thoughts were boomeranging around his brain so loudly he could barely think.  “Let Kevin go.”

 

“He’s on the list.”

 

“He’s twelve!” Jim shouted.  “What the hell is wrong with you?!  He’s a kid.  Let him go!”

 

“We have our orders.”  One of the Militiamen raised his phaser rifle as though Jim hadn’t even spoken and took aim at his chest.

 

“Just let him go!  Please-”

 

Jim watched the man’s trigger finger tighten and unconsciously he closed his eyes and wondered if it would hurt or if any second now he just cease to be alive.  A rough force slammed into him from the side and Jim hit the ground, too stunned to realize exactly what had happened until one of the Militiamen was pulling Kevin off him and his to his feet.  Once Kevin was upright, one of the men lashed out and struck him across the face with the rifle.

 

“Kevin!”

 

Kevin was crying and even though his hands were covering the wound on his face it was bleeding enough that blood had seeped between his fingers and was slipping down his hands.  Jim forced himself to his feet and did his best to plant himself in front of Kevin and spat directly into the face of the Militiamen who had hit him.

 

“This is exactly the kind of behavior that-”

 

“Stop wasting time!  Just kill them and be done-”

 

The man stilled and for a moment Jim didn’t fully understand what he was seeing, because suddenly there was a flash of metal and his throat was open and there was blood everywhere.  A knife landed at Jim’s feet and he picked it up, pulling Kevin upright as well.  However by the time both boys were to their feet, the five Militiamen surrounding them were dead.  The first from having his throat slit and the rest had been killed with phaser fire from the rifle liberated from the first man.

 

“Jim…”

 

Jim didn’t reply, but suddenly Kevin was hitting him and he managed to let go of the younger boy in time for him to step away before he was sick.  Jim stared at the man before him, hardly recognizing him.  In less than thirty seconds he’d killed five people without a struggle.  He’d never believed the things his mother had said about Tiberius Kirk, but now it suddenly seemed like maybe he’d been more than just a midlevel flunky in the Federation. 

 

“Grandpa?”

 

“Are you hurt?”

 

Jim shook his head slowly,  “No, I’m not.  But Kevin was hit in the face.  You… you killed them.  How did you…?” Because Tiberius Kirk wasn’t exactly a young man, yet he’d moved like something out of an action vid. 

 

Tiberius Kirk glanced at Kevin and waited until his retching had finished before speaking.  “They’re executing people all over the Colony.”

 

“I have to go home,” Kevin spoke in a rush as he forced himself to his feet as he wiped the blood from his face,  “My parents-” He wobbled, only avoiding hitting the ground because Jim steadied him.  “Are they…?”

 

“I don’t know,” Tiberius admitted.

 

“What…” Jim took a deep breath, “What are we going to do?  Are we going to die?”

 

“I’ll not give Kodos the satisfaction of killing us to cover up his failures.  We’re going to live.  As many people as I can possibly get to are going to live and we’re going to scream so fucking loudly about what they’ve done here that they’ll be able to hear us all the way in San Francisco.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Part One**

 

Three weeks after the so-called Revolution, Tiberius Kirk returned from the last of his scouting trips to locate survivors. He brought a little girl who was more infant than toddler and when he handed Kevin Riley his only surviving family, the boy managed a smile. It was an expression he wouldn’t repeat for a long time.

 

Out of whatever number of people Governor Kodos had ordered killed, Tiberius estimated that less than six hundred had survived. They’d taken over some old environment bunkers and fortified them to the best of their ability, but their safety depended on secrecy.  Tiberius was in charge of the last of these bunkers, number seven, and it was mostly populated with children and teenagers who’d managed to escape execution.

 

Jim and Kevin nailed a sign made out of some old cardboard to the wall near the main exit. Once it was hung up, people took to touching it for luck on their way in and out of the Stronghold and putting up photos of family members who hadn’t survived the Revolution.

 

**Welcome to Free Tarsus**

**Stronghold 7**

Kevin was the first to hang a photograph, an image showing a younger and much happier version of himself surrounded by laughing siblings. He lingered by the photograph and whispered their names every time he entered or exited the Stronghold. Every night before putting her to bed, Kevin brought his sister Katie to see the photograph. He pointed to each of his other siblings, reminding the little girl of their names and telling her something about each of them.

 

The government seemed to suspect that there were some survivors, but their attempts to locate them were disinterested. In his first speech directly after the Revolution, Kodos himself acknowledged that there had likely been some who had escaped their sentences. However, he cautioned the worthy not to concern themselves with it, promising the Militia would not allow the expendable to return and drain the resources needed by the rest to survive. They had nothing to fear from cowards who fled justice and hid in the woods.

 

Despite Tiberius’ attempt to send word to the Federation, nothing came of the plea for help. For a while Jim wondered if the message just hadn’t made it to the Federation but eventually he began to consider if it was possible that they knew and they just didn’t care. After a while it was all he could think of.

 

No one cared.

 

Maybe everyone in San Francisco was deaf, but there was no way for them to scream any louder. Kodos had done something to the communication system and it was impossible to get a message off planet without going through governmental channels. And as the weather turned cooler, the fungus seemed to die and Kodos gloated in triumph. Tarsus IV, he declared, was now a utopia for the righteous.

 

They were surviving, but it was only just barely so. There was never enough food from the stolen scraps they took from the nearby towns or the bags snuck to them by sympathizers to feed everyone and as autumn slipped into winter, Jim began to wonder if the cold would take them before hunger did.

 

Tiberius Kirk was not only in charge of Stronghold 7, but everyone had taken to referring to him as the General as they looked to him for guidance. Once a week after the Revolution he hosted a meeting of the leaders of each Stronghold to share what little resources they had and discuss what to do next. He had a network of citizens that didn’t agree with Kodos and did their best to help how they could from under the radar.

 

It was due to these contacts that they scored their first real victory against the Government. No one knew exactly who exactly they were, but having been aware of some his Grandfather’s less advertised friendships Jim suspected that much of the help they were getting was from the Leighton’s. Thomas Leighton was a brilliant researcher and food scientist and along with his wife Martha had quietly cautioned Kodos against the events that led to the food shortage. Unable to speak out against the Governor publically, they did what they could and kept Tiberius updated on situation secretly. Both of them were closely monitored by Kodos, though Martha less so because Kodos believed botany to be a soft science.

 

For so long they had just been trying to survive, but they’d managed to steal a large shipment of food from the government while arranging the records to conceal the theft. They would never know it was gone because they had no record it had ever existed. It wasn’t a staggering amount of food, but supplemented by whatever else they were able to steal and the occasional gift, it would see them through the winter.

 

It was only after that success, after people went a few days with more than just a few bites to eat, that they really began to plan.

 

“Jim?”

 

Jim looked up from his game of blocks with Katie Riley. He did his best to help Kevin with the little girl and they found some old scraps of wood they were able to use to make into a few toys for her. Katie smashed her blocks together, laughing happily when she caught sight of Tiberius. “Tibie! Up.”

 

Tiberius smiled and easily lifted her up, swinging her around as laughed and laughed. The sound her happiness made Jim ache for a life she’d probably never again have, but he forced a smile when his Grandfather returned her to the ground. “What’s up?”

 

“The others are coming today for a meeting. I need you to be there.”

 

Jim took the block what Katie was insistently pushing into his hand, “Kevin is on sentry duty and I promised I’d watch Katie.”

 

“Bring her with you,” Tiberius said. “It won’t take too long.”

 

Jim took Katie to the supply room to see about some lunch and managed to get a can of tuna for himself and a can of peaches for Katie. She slurped down the fruit happily and made a mess of herself trying to drink the sticky juice. By the time Jim got the pair of them cleaned up, they were just in time for the meeting. He set Katie up in the corner with her blocks and took the empty chair between his Grandfather and Hoshi Sato.

 

“How’s Taka?” he asked quietly, speaking in Vulcan in the hopes of coaxing a smile from her.

 

“Same,” she replied and though she didn’t smile, her tight expression relaxed a little when she looked at him. As she turned towards him, the long, mostly healed, burn down the side of her face was visible. She’d never elaborated on exactly what had happened, but both Hoshi and her husband Takashi Kimura had been injured during the Revolution.   Takashi had been okay for a while, but the moment the temperature had begun to drop he’d developed pneumonia and it had been a struggle to get him the medicine he needed. “How are you, Jim?”

 

“I’m fine. It’s a full time job trying to keep up with Tiberius.”

 

“I heard that,” Tiberius said, though his expression was affectionate. “It’s time to get down to business. There are two things we need to discuss and make a decision about. Hoshi, you wanted to start?”

 

Hoshi nodded, tucking a strand of her greying hair behind her ear. “Yesterday was my birthday. Every year since Taka and I came here, Jonathon Archer calls me on my birthday.”

 

Tiberius leaned forward, “Admiral Jonathon Archer?”

 

Hoshi nodded.

 

“Recorded message or live feed?”

 

“Live feed,” she replied. “Always.”

 

“What do you think he’ll do when he can’t get ahold of you?” Tiberius asked.

 

“I don’t know,” Hoshi admitted, “But this isn’t something the Governor will be able to explain away easily. If he reports that I am dead, Archer will make arrangements for a service and it will not be a small affair. It will bring attention he doesn’t want to Tarsus IV. I really can’t imagine how he’s going to placate Archer. The man has a paranoid streak that’s only gotten worse with age.”

 

“This may present an interesting opportunity,” Tiberius admitted. “I’ll have my contacts in the Capital keep their ears open for any word of Archer making a fuss. Speaking of my contacts, I recently received a message from one of them.”

 

Some of the other Stronghold leaders perked up, “Is there a possibility for another delivery of food? Or maybe some medicine? There’s a nasty cough going around Stronghold 2.”

 

“There’s a woman in Stronghold 5 with paramedic training,” Hoshi said. “I’ll send her around to you in the morning.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Unfortunately the message isn’t about supplies,” Tiberius admitted. “He’s asked me for a face to face meeting tonight, in the Capital.”

 

Jim tightened his fists in the sleeves of his sweater. His Grandfather was the most wanted man in the entire colony and to hear him talking so casually about going to the Capital where half the buildings were plastered with wanted posters displaying his face was alarming.

 

“Tiberius, this seems unwise,” Hoshi cautioned.

 

“He wouldn’t ask for a face to face meeting if it wasn’t important,” Tiberius objected.

 

“Did he ask for you specifically?”

 

Tiberius studied his grandson carefully, “No. Not by name.”

 

“I’ll go.”

 

Tiberius shook his head, “Jim, no. I asked you here because I intend to leave you in command of Stronghold 7 in my absence.”

 

“I’ll go,” Jim repeated. “No one is going to care about some teenager, but everyone will know you on sight and you’ll get killed. I’ve done well on my supply missions. I can blend in. No one will even look at me twice.”

 

“Jimmy, I can’t-”

 

“You cannot go,” Jim said. “You know I’m right. You’re too important. Let me go,” he leaned forward. “I know I can do this.”

 

Tiberius had not been easily persuaded, but the others had agreed that he was too important to risk and eventually Tiberius had agreed to allow Jim to go to the meeting. Jim scrounged around until he found a set of decent, clean clothes and before leaving the Stronghold he paused long enough to touch the sign.

 

Kevin was sitting in the tunnel alone, phaser rifle slung over my shoulder as he stared down a dimly lit tunnel. He frowned a little when he saw Jim, “Jimmy? Where’s Katie?”

 

“She’s with Tiberius,” Jim replied. He picked up the motorized bicycle leaning against the far wall. “He’ll watch her until your shift ends.”

 

“Where are you going?” Kevin demanded. “There isn’t a supply run scheduled for today.”

 

“I know. I’m going on another sort of errand,” Jim climbed on the bicycle. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

 

“Jim…” Kevin sighed. “Damn it, be careful. Don’t you dare get caught!”

 

The ride to the end of the tunnel left Jim with nothing to distract him from his thoughts but the quiet purr of the motor. The sun was just beginning to set when he climbed out of the exit into the woods. He walked through the dense forest, tensing automatically when he came to a section that had been destroyed by the fungus. The grass had long turned brown and crumbled, and the trees were striped of all their bark and collapsing in on themselves.

 

Jim moved away from the forest and cut through a small park before he was on the outskirts of the city. He sat on a swing in an abandoned park and only a few moments had passed before a girl took the swing beside him. She was small for her age, barely managing to pass for ten years old, and smiled when she saw him. She was the Leighton’s only child and already showing the signs of having inherited the intelligence of both her parents. Despite her youth Jim had considered her a friend from the moment Kevin had introduced her. Jim had never managed to discern exactly how they met, but it seemed to be a source of mutual embarrassment. They’d always been close, despite living so far apart, and Kevin had once confessed to Jim that his life goal was to convince Ely Leighton to marry him. He had a long-term extremely detailed plan that Jim realized with a sudden pang he hadn’t mentioned once since the Revolution.

 

“Hello, Jimmy.”

 

“Ely. I wasn’t expecting you,” he admitted. “Though I’m glad to see you.”

 

“No one pays any attention to what I do,” Ely admitted. “Its far easier for me to move around the Colony freely than for my parents. I have a message for you, for your Grandfather, but first…how’s Kevin?”

 

“Kevin’s fine.”

 

“Are you looking out for him?” she asked, twisting her hands nervously.

 

“Of course. Kevin and I share a room with his sister so I see him everyday. I promise, Ely, he’s as okay as its possible for him to be. I wouldn’t let anything happen to him.” Jim recalled the feeling of Kevin slamming into him from the side when he’d stood prepared to be executed. Kevin had ignored him the one time Jim had tried to speak about it, but for the rest of his life Jim would never forget it. They might not share blood, but Kevin was his brother and he’d do everything possible to see him through his.

 

“Will you give him a hug and tell him it’s from me?”

 

Jim nodded, “Yeah, I can do that.”

 

She sighed a little and pushed off the ground with her feet to set the swing into motion. “My father overheard something today. Apparently some rumors of what happened here have reached the Federation.”

 

“Is Starfleet coming?” Jim asked.

 

When Ely shook her head and the tendril of hope that blossomed in his chest tightened. “No. They’re sending an Ambassador. And he isn’t coming to do an investigation; he’s coming to confirm that there is nothing to the rumors.”

 

“But he’ll see-”

 

“He’ll see nothing but what Kodos wants him to see. And with such advance warning, he’s already begun to clean up. There won’t be any evidence that other people used to live here, let alone what the government did to them,” One of her hands slipped into her pocket and she handed Jim a folded up piece of paper. Unfolding it, Jim stared at the wanted poster.

 

“Why are you giving this to me?”

 

“Because I think it’s the last one and I thought you might need it for evidence.”

 

Jim refolded the paper and slipped it into his pocket.

 

“It isn’t all bad news,” Ely said after a moment. “The Ambassador, Sarek of Vulcan, is married to a human woman and she’s traveling here with him. Her name is Amanda Grayson and she’s a linguist.”

 

“A linguist? Does-”

 

Ely nodded quietly, “She collaborated with Hoshi Sato on parts of the second generation of the Universal Translator. If we can find a way to get her away from Kodos long enough for Hoshi to talk to her…”

 

“We might have a chance,” Jim said quietly. “You’re sure Amanda Grayson is coming?”

 

“We’re sure,” she replied.

 

Jim pressed a loud kiss to her forehead, “Thank you, Ely.”

 

She shrugged, “Just doing my part.”

 

“Ely, you’re ten-”

 

“I’m almost eleven!” she objected.

 

“You should be playing with toys and annoying your parents, not helping to spy on a corrupt government.”

 

“Like you’re so much older than me,” Ely replied, though there was no bite to her words. “Kodos calls this place a Utopia for the righteous, but I remember what it was like before he came to power. Tarsus was never perfect, but it was a good place and he destroyed it for greed. I want my home back,” she said. “Because this isn’t home anymore. Tarsus IV isn’t a good place and it hasn’t been for a while, but I’m not ready to give up. And I’m sure as hell not going to spend my days frolicking about like I’m some kind of Princess like Lenore Kodos and act like nothing is wrong when everything is wrong.”

 

Jim hugged Ely, spinning her around in a circle before putting her back down on her feet. “Thank you, Ely. You don’t have to do this.”

 

“Yes,” she replied quietly, “I do. In ten years I don’t want to look back on what happened here and be ashamed that I didn’t try to help the people I love.” She nudged him gently. “Go on. I need to get home before its too late and my father has a nervous breakdown.”

 

It was fully dark by the time Jim reached the entrance to the tunnel and he was surprised to find that Kevin was waiting for him when he reached the entrance of Stronghold 7.

 

“You were off ages ago.”

 

Kevin shrugged, “The General said he didn’t mind keeping Katie for a while longer and I wanted to wait for you.”

 

Jim surged forward, catching Kevin off guard and swept him into a tight hug. Kevin was startled, but he didn’t fight the gesture and even made a sound that was almost a laugh. “What the hell, Jimmy?”

 

“From Ely.”

 

Kevin’s eyes widened, “You… you saw Ely?”

 

He nodded, “She asked after you. She’s worried about you.”

 

Kevin swallowed thickly, “How was she? Did she look ok?”

 

“She’s fine,” Jim assured him, “They don’t pay her much attention and her parents are too important to Kodos for anyone to risk bothering her. Come on. I’m tired. Let’s go get Katie and I can report to my Grandfather.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Part Three**

After reporting to his Grandfather, Jim and Kevin took Katie and headed to the tiny room that they shared. Kevin and Katie curled up on a makeshift cot with a ratty sleeping bag and Jim situated himself in the corner on a beanbag chair with two towels and a sheet in lieu of blankets. Katie fell asleep immediately, but Jim and Kevin were both up much longer.

 

“Jim?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Do you think there might be some family out there willing to take Katie? To pretend that she had always been theirs?” He was quiet briefly. “She belongs outside. She belongs in the sun and not in this hellhole. And she’s so young… I think that she might be okay with a new family. If they were good people… I think maybe she’d be able to forget that she ever had a different life and, I don’t know, maybe she’d grow up like just any other kid and she could be happy.”

 

“Tiberius isn’t going to let anything happen to us,” Jim whispered back. “We aren’t going to die. You’re not going to die.”

 

“You don’t know that.”

 

“I do,” Jim insisted. “I won’t let you.”

 

“So we don’t die,” Kevin replied quietly, and Jim could imagine the weariness on his face despite the darkness. “We live on in this bunker, sneaking out to steal just enough food so that we don’t starve. Maybe we can keep doing this for years, maybe not. But I can’t remember the last time I imagined a life after this, because what future is there for us? I had so many plans and, yeah, maybe most of them were stupid but they were mine and now they’re gone. I don’t want that for Katie.”

 

“Kevin…”

 

“I know you still have hope,” Kevin replied, “And I know that it makes you feel like shit when I talk like this, but-”

 

“Say whatever you like, Kevin,” Jim replied. “You’re my best friend. You can say whatever the hell you want. Its true that I still have hope, but that doesn’t mean I’m not scared.”

 

“I didn’t think anything scared you,” Kevin replied. “During the Revolution you just stood there and they were going to kill you, but you were never afraid.”

 

“I was,” Jim said. “I was terrified and I couldn’t even think straight, but I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of knowing that I spent my last moments in fear of them. They don’t get to have that.” He huffed out a little laugh, “But I’m not sure if that’s bravery, Kevin. It’s probably just stupidity. Tell me about your plans?”

 

“Its dumb.”

 

“Come on,” Jim cajoled. “Tell me.”

 

“Ely wants to go to school on Earth, but I don’t love learning in the same way that she does so I always figured I’d go to the Academy. My parents gave me an astrolabe a couple of years ago and since then I really wanted to be a navigator on a starship. Coming to Tarsus IV was the first time I was ever in space and it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.”

 

“When I was little I wanted to be a pataphysicist, but my teacher told me I was overly fanciful, too much of a dreamer. She once referred to me as a mouthy little shit when she thought I couldn’t hear her,” Jim admitted. “But I like building things. I like patterns. I’ve always enjoyed math and physics. Didn’t stop my teachers from failing me.” Jim chuckled, “There was this one time when I was supposed to be taking a test, but it was boring so I spent the entire class writing an essay on the Novikov self-consistency principle. Really pissed that teacher off too, but I think it was just because he didn’t understand the concept.”

 

“Smart ass.”

 

“Your hardly the first to call me that,” Jim admitted. “I take it as a compliment.” He was quiet for a moment once Kevin’s quiet laughter had ebbed, “Kevin, about Katie…”

 

“I meant what I said, but I’m also not sure I could let her go. How selfish is that? She’s all that’s left and I think if she leaves… Every night I tell her about our parents and our siblings…what if I start to forget them when she’s gone and I don’t have anyone to tell the stories to?”

 

“I don’t think its selfish, Kevin. It’s hard, but that’s because its love. Because she’s family.”

 

“Yeah,” Kevin murmured, his eyes slipping closed. “She’s my family. And so are you, Jimmy. You’re my brother.”

 

Jim remained awake for a while longer after Kevin had drifted off. Kevin’s words had pierced something in him, given him a moment of goodness in what otherwise felt like unending misery. But at the same time it brought his thoughts to his own brother and he suddenly couldn’t remember the last time he’d thought of him. His brother, his mother and his stepfather. Their faces seemed distant, blurry, and when he thought of family they did not come to mind. Jim imagined them home, in Iowa, living a life he had never before realized was so entrenched in comfort and privilege. It brought him a hint of bitterness for they had cast him away the same day that Tiberius had agreed to take him, but he would never have wished them to suffer alongside him.

 

He instead thought of Tiberius, and of Kevin and Katie. And Hoshi and Taka. Even if all his hopes should come to pass, if the Federation should show up and save them all from the cold, the hunger and the death that waited them all if Kodos and the Militiamen ever found them, Jim couldn’t imagine going home. He couldn’t imagine going back to that life. How could he ever be among people who didn’t understand what it was like to be condemned as worthless? To be scared and tired and so god damned angry that he sometimes wondered if he might have it in him to, given the opportunity, kill Kodos with his bare hands. There wasn’t a single person in any of the Strongholds who didn’t understand him. He would never even have to try and explain the Revolution, because they’d lived it. They’d lived like him and they felt as he did. To live like that forever was beyond imagine, but life after it felt equally impossible. Kevin’s words played over and over in his mind.

 

_But I can’t remember the last time I imagined a life after this, because what future is there for us?_

And Jim knew he was at least partially right. What was the future but a pale and distant star, and so damned far away that it seemed unattainable?

 

Jim woke to Katie’s hands on his face, without ever realizing he’d even fallen asleep. The contents of his dream came back to him in a rush, and he remembered that he’d dreamt of the Revolution. The Militiamen had come for him and when Kevin pushed him aside, the shot from the phaser rifle had struck him in the throat and he’d died in agony.  

 

“Sad, Jimmy?” She asked as she pressed her fingers across his cheeks.

 

Jim caught her fingers, surprised to feel that they were damp, and pressed his palms to his cheeks and eyes to wipe away the remaining wetness. “I’m okay, Katie.”

 

“Did you dream?” Kevin asked. “You were whimpering in your sleep.”

 

“I’m fine,” Jim said to Katie, forcing a smile that was so damn hard he thought he would choke. “I’m sorry if I woke you guys.”

 

Kevin accepted his answer with a simple, “I sometimes have nightmares too.”

 

Breakfast was a shared can of creamed corn and a handful of nuts each. Kevin managed to trade Katie’s nuts for a couple of bites of raspberry jam. He took Katie to play with some of the other younger children and Jim went to his shift in the supply room with the promise to meet them for lunch.

 

The news Jim had received from Ely Leighton was pressing enough that Tiberius called the rest of the Stronghold leaders back for another meeting. His Grandfather once again requested his presence, so Jim switched his shift in the supply room with a girl he was friendly with, and joined them.

 

“Before we get into Jim’s report,” the leader from Stronghold 2, a man called Kiang, spoke up, his gaze mostly lingering on Niall, the leader of Stronghold 3. “One of the men in my Stronghold was caught messing with one of the little girls. Do you have room for him in three?”

 

It had become apparently rather quickly after the Revolution, that while the overwhelming majority of those sentenced to die had been innocent of any actual wrongdoing, it wasn’t universally true. Tiberius had done his best to weed out those who posed a threat to the safety of the rest and isolate them in Stronghold 3, but it was impossible to be totally sure.

 

“There’s room,” Niall said, “But I want you to take one of mine in exchange.”

 

Kiang tensed, “You want to let someone out of three?”

 

Because while Stronghold 3 wasn’t exactly a prison, they didn’t allow the people there to wander unsupervised into the other Strongholds. It was the smallest of all them and had less than fifty occupants, mostly people who posed a direct physical threat to the safety of others. Niall did his best to keep something resembling order in Stronghold 3, but it was difficult.

 

“He’s nineteen, but he barely looks it,” Niall explained. “And he isn’t going to be able to defend himself against some of those that have taken an interest in him. I do my best to keep them away from him, but I can’t be there all the time.”

 

“Why is he in three?” Tiberius asked.

 

“Supposedly stabbed a man in a bar fight,” Niall explained. “He’s not a bad kid. He won’t hurt anyone and he’s actually quite clever. Will you take him?”

 

Kiang nodded slowly, “I’ll take him if he agrees to being monitored. If there are any problems, he’ll be sent back to three. Do you agree?”

 

“I agree,” Niall replied, some of the tension seeping from his shoulders. “Thank you.”

 

“Good,” Tiberius said. “Anything else before Jimmy gives his report? No? Okay, Jimmy, go ahead.”

 

Before going into what Ely had told him about the arrival of the Federation Ambassador, Jim placed the wanted poster on the table. It brought forth some quiet laughter from the other leaders, and even Hoshi smiled a little.

 

“Looking good, General.”

 

Tiberius spared a smile for Emma Nowicki, now the leader of Stronghold 6.

 

“Kodos has always had a flair for the dramatics,” Hoshi said.

 

“While that is true,” Jim agreed, “I was given this poster because its thought to be the last one. Kodos has cleaned up the Capital. He’s cleaning up everything and soon there won’t be any evidence of the Revolution.”

 

Tiberius leaned forward; the smile slipping from his face like it had never been there, “Why?”

 

“Apparently some rumors have reacted the Federation and they’re sending an Ambassador.” He shook his head quickly at the hope that entered some of their expressions. “He’s been sent to confirm that it’s just a wild rumor. However…”  


“Do you know who they’re sending?” Emma asked.

 

“Yes,” Jim said, turning to face Hoshi. “And apparently his wife will be joining him. You know her.”

 

“Who is the Ambassador?” Hoshi asked.

 

“Sarek of Vulcan.”

 

Hoshi leaned back in her chair, her surprise evident on her face. “I do know his wife. I know Amanda Grayson very well.” She was quiet for a moment before turning her attention to Tiberius. “We have to find a way to get in touch with her. She’ll listen to us. Amanda is… she’s our best chance of getting help.”

 

“Kodos isn’t going to just let them wander about the Colony unsupervised,” Emma said. “How are we going to get her away from them long enough to tell her the truth?”

 

Tiberius tapped his finger against the table for a minute, “This is the best chance we’ve ever had. We can’t afford to let this pass us by, because we aren’t going to get another one. Once the Ambassador has come and gone…” Tiberius paused briefly, “He doesn’t get to turn this world into his perfect paradise and be lauded a hero. We’re not going to let him and those who helped him, live happily like they didn’t kill thousands of innocent people.”

 

“Kodos is probably going to plan some kind of fancy dinner,” Niall added. “It’ll be very ostentatious and well attended by his cronies. That’s probably our best chance to interact with her without Kodos knowing.”

 

“We’re going to need more information about their itinerary before we can plan this,” Tiberius said, “But I think Niall is probably right. Emma, you’ve been keeping most of the evidence related to the fungus at Stronghold 6, right?”

 

Emma nodded.

 

“And Ben,” he said, looking to the man from Stronghold 1, “You’ve been collected stories from survivors and evidence about the Revolution, correct?”

 

“Yeah.”  


“Okay, can you two work together and compile everything and then copy it so that each of a us can have a complete copy of the all the evidence we have?”

 

“Yeah, that’s doable,” Emma agreed.

 

“And tell no one,” Tiberius cautioned. “The last thing we want is for Kodos to know that we’re aware of the Ambassador’s visit.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

_Error 662. Call terminated._

 

Admiral Jonathon Archer stared at the message in faint confusion and resisted the urge to kick his terminal in frustration. It was the fourth time he’d tried to call Hoshi Sato, and each time he received the same message. Error 662. Call terminated. It wasn’t an error he’d ever seen and he had no idea what sort of technical problem it might be referencing. He glanced at his watch briefly and considered the time difference, worried that any further delays would have him calling rather late.

 

Being an Admiral, his request for technical support received attention within fifteen minutes even though the problem wasn’t technically an emergency.

 

“I think there is something wrong with my terminal. There is an error message when I try to make an outgoing call.”

 

The young Lieutenant turned his attention to the terminal beside Archer’s desk, “Are you trying to send a message or connect via a live feed, sir?”

 

“Live feed.”

 

“On Earth?”

 

“No, off planet.”

 

He tapped away at the terminal for a few minutes, “The problem isn’t on your end, sir.”

 

“What does that mean?” Archer asked.

 

“I’m looking at the log of your recent history. I see that you’re trying to reach a terminal off planet, but the error isn’t with this terminal or even with the network on our end. Error 662 is a connection error. It means that your terminal is trying to make a connection to a terminal that doesn’t exist.”

 

“But it does,” Archer disagreed. “I’ve called it in the past. Could it just be offline?”

 

The Lieutenant shook his head, “No. If it were offline you would either be instructed to leave a message or try again at a different time. Same thing if the terminal was already being used for a different call.”

 

“So you’re telling me that this terminal no longer exists?”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

Jonathon drummed his fingers against his desk for a while after the Lieutenant departed from his office.   No matter how he tried, he was unable to come up with any sort of logical explanation for why the terminal was gone. If it had been damaged or upgraded, he’d reach a recorded message with the details. But instead it was gone like it had never been there.  

 

After a few moments of thought, he carefully pulled his shirt off, leaving him only in a black undershirt, and angled himself so that nothing behind him was visible accept for an innocuous tan wall. He opened up a connection to the Colony itself and patiently waited for the call to connect. The face of a smiling young woman appeared after a few minutes.

 

“You’ve reached the office of the Governor of the Federation Colony Tarsus IV. How may I direct your inquiry?”

 

“Yes, hello,” Jonathon said, smiling a little, and slouching in his chair.  He offered an embarrassed chuckle. “I’m sorry to bother you… and I’m so terribly embarrassed because I’m sure I’m just doing something silly… its only the company came and recently updated my terminal and for someone reason I can’t seem to make contact with my friend who lives on Tarsus IV. I don’t even know why they had to come and update the damn thing,” he offered another little self deprecating laugh, “It was working fine before.”

 

The woman laughed with him, “That does sound frustrating. If you tell me your friends name I might be able to patch you through if their terminal is listed as publicly accessible.”

 

“Hoshi Sato.”

 

“Can you hold for a minute?”

 

“Sure.”

 

The screen darkened for a few moments and Jonathon turned to the side. The woman reappeared a few minutes later. “Sir?”

 

Jonathon startled and affected an expression of alarm, “Goodness, you gave me a fright!”

 

She smiled, but there was something about it that immediately struck him as wrong. It didn’t reach her eyes and there was a tension in her shoulders that hadn’t been there before. “Oh, I’m sorry. Unfortunately, I can’t connect you directly to your friend, but I can try to get a message to her. May I have your name?”

 

“Archie. Archie Johnson.”

 

“I’ll do my best, Mr. Johnson, but we’ve been experiencing some power problems in some of the smaller towns. It may be a while before you hear from your friend.”

 

“Well, I’m glad I called. Otherwise I might have started to worry.”

 

“No need to worry,” she promised, “Things like this happen all the time in the smaller Colonies.”

 

“Thank you for your assistance, young lady. Have a nice day,” Jonathan finished, before ending the call.

 

Deeply concerned, Jonathan immediately logged into the secure Federation database. There was nothing recorded to suggested anything untoward might be happening at the Colony, but when he did a search on the appointed Governor he found a deeply concerning paper on eugenics the man had written nearly a decade earlier.

 

Jonathan pressed a button on his desk and waited for a moment until his aide appeared in the doorway, “Yes, Admiral?”

 

“I want everything you have on the Federation colony Tarsus IV. I need it as quickly as possible and…” he hesitated briefly, “I need you to be quiet about it. Can you do that?”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

There were numerous of things that required his attention, reports and meetings, but the moment he received the report on Tarsus IV he canceled everything. Archer shut himself up in his office with strict orders not to be disturbed unless the building was on fire and the flames were getting worryingly close to his office. The first page was a profile on Tarsus IV and information about the currently Governor. There were references to his thoughts on eugenics. The more Archer read, the angrier he became. How the hell had this man been appointed Governor of a Colony, even one as small and out of the way as Tarsus IV?

 

Flipping back to the profile on Kodos, Archer read over his biography and paused when he came to the details about the man’s appointment. He exhaled slowly and flipped through the rest of the report quickly, slowing down when he reached the notations about current concerns about the Colony. There had been some rumors of food shortages that had been hushed up pretty quickly. Additionally, there was a reference to a complaint about an inability to reach people on Tarsus IV. A young man had contacted the Federation, concerned about his inability to get in touch with his family on Tarsus IV and his concerns about the Governments lack of response to his inquiry. Unfortunately there was no name listed for the complainant, but it was clear that either no investigation had begun or it had been stonewalled almost immediately. The only report the Federation had received from Tarsus IV in the last months did ask for additional aid in not only food, but also weapons, but it listed the cause as a small terrorist group who’d done some damage to the warehouses housing their emergency food reserves. The Governor assured the Federation he had the situation well in hand.

 

Unnerved and uncomfortable with the sensation, but determined, Archer turned back to his terminal and placed a final call. It took more than a few minutes until the call connected and he could tell by the expression on her face that his call had woken her.

 

“Hello, old friend.”

 

T’Pol, looking much the same as she always had with the addition of a gray hair or two, met his gaze and returned his greeting by raising her eyebrows. Though she did not smile, she nodded her head in greeting and something in her expression eased.

 

“Admiral.”

 

“You know you don’t have to call me that.”

 

“It would be illogical to continue to refer to you by a rank you have long surpassed,” she replied.

 

Archer couldn’t help but smile a little, “I’m sorry to bother you. How’s life on Vulcan?”

 

“Acceptable. I would ask the same of Earth, though given that you are calling me at such an hour it seems that all is not well.” She leaned forward when he did not reply straight away. “Is something wrong?”

 

“Is this channel secure?”

 

She paused for a moment, her gaze moving away from the terminal briefly, “It is now.”

 

“I haven’t been able to get in touch with Hoshi today.”

 

She tilted her head a little, but made no comment and waited for him to continue.

 

“It’s a longstanding tradition that we speak on her birthday. It’s been decades, T’Pol, and she has never once missed my call. Yet suddenly there is no way to get in touch with her. I managed to get in touch with someone in the Colonial government under the façade of a technologically illiterate friend, but the woman I spoke to was lying to me. She was alarmed and I could tell that she was hiding something. And I’ve heard some rather strange rumors about Tarsus IV.”

 

“I see. How may I assist you, Admiral?”

 

“I’m worried,” he admitted. “Something isn’t right. I know you don’t put much stock in things like this, but I can tell that something isn’t right. I know it; I can feel it in my gut. I wanted to get your opinion.”

 

“On the contrary,” T’Pol replied after a moment, “I learned long ago not to dismiss such feelings from someone as perceptive as yourself. I will not deny that I have heard whispers of problems on Tarsus IV, but it was never anything concrete and there has never been any evidence. Though I have not kept in such consistent contact with Hoshi Sato, she was a valued colleague and I would be greatly displeased to hear that any ill had befallen her.”

 

“Someone needs to go to Tarsus IV,” he said after a moment. “An official inquiry will just be met with whatever bullshit they think will be most convincing. It has to be someone with enough influence that they won’t dare dismiss them.”

 

“You do not mean yourself.”

 

He shook his head, smiling a little, “No. I know my days gallivanting about the galaxy are long over, T’Pol, and my presence would attract far too much attention.”

 

“I have an idea,” she said after a moment. “Are you at all familiar with Ambassador Sarek?”

 

“Peripherally,” he admitted. “We’ve been introduced, but I don’t know him especially well.”

 

“He is a man of high integrity and not one who is easily dismissed,” T’Pol said. “I propose that we engineer the situation so that Ambassador Sarek is sent to investigate the rumors of famine on Tarsus IV.”

 

“I’m concerned that attention will only worsen whatever is going on in the Colony. I don’t want the Governor alarmed.”

 

“He will have no reason to be alarmed if he believes the Federation finds the rumors more of an annoyance than a concern. He will not be alarmed if the purpose of the Ambassadors visit is to prove that there is nothing amiss in the Colony.”

 

Archer laughed. “And how exactly are we going to engineer this?”

 

“I believe I can handle much of it,” T’Pol replied. “Ambassador Sarek is currently on Vulcan and therefore I will seek him out at the earliest opportunity. You will be required to make several loud, displeased statements about the rumors from Tarsus IV in an as crowded as possible place. If it is at all possible to take your complaints in front of Ambassador Gral and Ambassador Shran, I recommend that you do so.”

 

“Ambassador Gral and Ambassador Shran are the most vocal opponents of the sitting President.”

 

“Indeed, they are,” T’Pol agreed, “And I doubt either of them will pass up any opportunity to try to make the President look bad.”

 

For a moment, Archer felt a sharp pang of sadness. It has been so long ago, but nothing could ever compare to those years on the Enterprise. He didn’t have many regrets from his life, but that had been an outstanding crew and he’d never trusted anyone like he had them. There had all gone their separate ways, in different directions all over the galaxy, and more than a few had passed on. After everything they had been through, he would not see any member of his former crew harmed if there was anything he could possibly do to prevent it.

 

After what they had done for the Federation, they deserved to live out the rest of their lives without fear.

 

“I’ll take care of it today.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

Jim lingered to spend a few minutes with his Grandfather once the meeting ended. For a while neither of them said anything, Tiberius’s attention rested on the wanted poster and Jim desperately thought of something to say. It wasn’t exactly that he resented that his Grandfather was so busy, he was lucky to have a relative alive after the Revolution, but he did miss their conversations.

 

“You doing okay, Jimmy?

 

Jim shrugged, “Yeah, I manage.”

 

“Got time for a walk around the Stronghold with your old Grandfather?” Tiberius asked carefully.

 

“You’re not old,” Jim insisted.

 

Tiberius shook his head in amusement, “Sure I am. I assure you, growing old is far from the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.”

 

“Hey, grandpa....why did your parents name you Tiberius?”

 

“Roman names were something of a tradition among the Kirks,” Tiberius explained as they walked, “Though I decided to spare your father that particular torture. I don’t think my parents ever forgave me for calling your father George instead of Aelius,” he admitted with a fond smile “They picked Tiberius for me because apparently I seemed like a tristissimus hominum from the moment of birth.” Tiberius studied him out of the corner of his eyes. “How’s your Latin, kid?”

 

Jim raised his eyebrow, because his studies hadn’t been a priority in a long time, but he obligingly replied, “Gloomy man.”

 

“Good,” he nodded. “According to my mother I didn’t develop anything resembling a good nature until after I was two. I was surprised when Winona told me the name they’d decided for you, but I was at least a little relieved that you only got stuck with Tiberius as your middle name rather than your first name.”

 

“Not sure the Universe could handle two Tiberius’s,” Jim admitted bumping his Grandfather with his shoulder. “And you grew up on the farm, right?”

 

“Like my father and his father before him,” Tiberius admitted.

 

“Why didn’t you retire there?” Jim asked.

 

Tiberius was quiet for a long moment, “That’s a story probably better left for another time, Jimmy. Are you meeting Kevin for dinner?”

 

Jim nodded.

 

Tiberius ruffled his hair, “Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

 

“Sure.”

 

His mind wandering after his conversation with Tiberius, Jim nearly slammed into Kevin on his way to find his friend. Kevin passed Katie into his arms and disappeared towards the supply room. He returned a moment with a grim expression and a can of peas and a can of spam.

 

He sighed when Katie shrieked at the sight of the spam and set about trying his luck persuading her to eat the peas.

 

“Do you ever wonder what people on Earth are doing?”

 

Jim watched Kevin try to persuade an increasingly fussy Katie to eat her share of the canned peas as he considered the question. He made it a habit not to bullshit Kevin, but sometimes it was just instinct to offer a cocky front. Jim kept his mouth shut for a few minutes, but before he could reply Katie lost what little patience she had left and did her best the mash the peas into the table with her fists. Asking around got the remainder of their peas traded for crackers. Katie happily accepted the alternative food and once she settled Kevin turned his attention to Jim.

 

“Do you?”

 

“Sometimes, but I don’t usually think about the people I knew there or what I might be doing if I was there. Instead I imagine some kid who never had to struggle for anything in his life and I hate him. He’s probably eating fistfuls of delicacies and tasty things and fuck, I really hate him.”

 

“I barely even remember Earth,” Kevin admitted. “My mother’s parents are still there. And I have some Aunts and Uncles. They’re nice. If there were a way for me to get Katie to them, I’d never worry about her again. I know they’d do right by her. You got anyone left there you wanna see again?”

 

“Sometimes I think about my brother,” Jim admitted. “But I’m closer to Tiberius than I’ve ever been to anyone on Earth. Things were complicated at home, you know, cause of what happened to my dad, and I probably wasn’t the best kid but when I got into trouble no one wanted me but him. He only met me once in his life, but he said yes like it was nothing. Like he didn’t even have to think about it. And when I came here, he told me about my dad. People tell me I look exactly like him, but they never tell me about who he was as a person. It’s like he sacrificed his life to save the Kelvin and that’s all there is. Tiberius gave me that book I showed you the first day I came here; I’d never even seen an actual paper book before. It had been my dad’s and he’d written all these notes in the margins and reading it was the closest I’ll ever get to talking to him and it was the best thing anyone’s ever done for me.”

 

“Didn’t know you had a brother.”

 

“Sam,” Jim admitted after a moment. “Things weren’t much easier for him at home and he split around the same time I came to live with Tiberius.”

 

Once Katie had finished eating, they hung around to chat with some of the others until she began to yawn. Jim fell asleep easily; perhaps even before Kevin, but the same dream of Kevin dying during the Revolution continued to plague him.

 

The next day after lunch a group returned from a supply run with a surprising amount of pharmaceuticals. Jim went directly to Tiberius to ask for permission to take one of the stronger rounds to Stronghold 5 for Taka. Tiberius agreed and accompanied him for half of the journey to Stronghold 5.

 

“I owe you an apology,” Tiberius admitted once they’d moved out of Stronghold and were deep enough into the tunnel that no one would over hear them.

 

“Why do you think that?”

 

Tiberius sighed, “Jimmy… I’m not sure what exactly your mother has told you about me… but I made her send you here. She didn’t want you to come here and…I forced the issue.”

 

“What?” Jim asked in surprise, because he’d honestly had no idea. He thought his mother had only been too glad to be rid of him at the first opportunity.

 

“Winona and I haven’t gotten along since George died,” he admitted. “You asked why I didn’t retire to the farm… I thought it better to stay away.”

 

“But why?”

 

“Because I didn’t think being exposed to such hostility would be good for you or your brother. I agreed to let her stay on the farm because your father had always intended to raise his children there.”

 

“No, I meant why don’t you two get along?”

 

“She didn’t approve of me, of my work.”

 

Jim stopped, “So its true that you used to work for Starfleet Intelligence?”

 

“It’s true,” Tiberius admitted. “But the point is that I was wrong, Jimmy. And I’m sorry. You’re only here because I insisted. You could have been at home right now if I hadn’t interfered.”

 

“No, I wouldn’t be,” Jim corrected quietly. “I don’t know what she said to you, but I had no where else to go. She was going to send me to a place for troubled kids. She let me come here because the cost of the flight wasn’t as much as that kind of residential program. And I know… I know when things started to get bad here that you called her and she wouldn’t let me come home.”

 

Tiberius met his gaze evenly, “I didn’t want you to know that, Jimmy.”

 

Jim shrugged, “Why? As my legal guardian, all she had to do was give her permission for me to be able to get on a transplanetary transport, but she didn’t. It doesn’t surprise me. This isn’t revealing anything to me that I didn’t already know about her.”

 

“I would never want to encourage you to think poorly of Winona. She’s your mother,” Tiberius managed after a moment.

 

“I don’t hate her,” Jim replied, “But I’m no longer surprised by her. I drove a car off a cliff and she was more upset that I’d angered Frank. She never asked why. She never even asked if I was hurt.  But I guess she knows why.”

 

“No one knows why.”

 

“What?” Jim asked.

 

“I read every police report filed about that incident and personally spoke with the social worker assigned to your case when there was a possibility you’d be criminally charged-”

 

“But I wasn’t,” Jim said in a rush, “Frank wanted me criminally charged for destroying his car, but I wasn’t. Did you make it go away?”

 

“Yes,” Tiberius admitted. “But if the local police hadn’t been so lazy I wouldn’t have had to.”

 

“What does that mean?”

 

“They can’t press charges against you for destruction of property without a complaining witness and no matter how he might have wished he did, your stepfather did not own that car.”

 

“What?”

 

“That car was mine,” Tiberius admitted. “If you don’t mind sharing, I’d really like to know why you drove it off a cliff.”

 

“Are you angry that I destroyed it?”

 

“No,” Tiberius replied. “I have a lot of fond memories of restoring that car with George when he was a teenager,” he smiled to himself for a moment, “But nothing can compare to the relief I felt when I heard that you hadn’t gone over the cliff in it. I don’t care about the car,” he said. “But I do care about why.”

 

“I wasn’t trying to kill myself,” Jim said quietly. “Or at least that wasn’t what I was thinking about when I took the car. I was mad because Sam had left and Frank was yelling and I wanted to get away. So I took the car and I went for a ride and all of the sudden there was this cliff and I thought…why the fuck not. I could keep doing the same shit, going to school like just another cog on the assembly line and stuck at home where no one gives a shit, or I could see if I could fly.”

 

“But you didn’t. You jumped out of the car at the last minute.”

 

“Seemed like a pretty shitty thing to do the day before the anniversary of the Kelvin,” Jim admitted. “My dad gave his life for me and I wasn’t going to spit in his face by giving it up. Not like that. Not when it didn’t mean shit. He didn’t deserve that from me”

 

Tiberius seized his shoulders, “Jimmy, your father would have loved you and been proud of you no matter what. He was so damned excited about you that he called me once a week to talk and updated me after every Doctor’s appointment. Don’t live your life trying to honor him. He would never have wanted that, kid. All he would have wanted was for you to be happy.”

 

“When this is over can I still stay with you?”

 

Tiberius exhaled sharply, before he nodded. “Yeah,” he caught Jim in a fierce hug. “My home is your home for as long as you want it. I promise.”

 

“I don’t want to stay here,” Jim admitted, “Once the Federation comes and they drag Kodos off to jail, I don’t want to stay here, but I don’t want to go back to Earth either.”

 

Some of the emotion in his expression eased to gentle amusement, “Got a place in mind, kid?”

 

“Do I get to pick?”

 

“I think I’d like to have the power to veto,” Tiberius replied. “I’m not relocating to anywhere in the Shelia system.”

 

Jim smiled, “Perfect weather and no military… I was thinking about Risa.”

 

Tiberius smiled in return, “You got a deal, kid.”

 

“General Tiberius!”

 

Tiberius turned, frowning a little as one of the older kids from Stronghold 7 sprinted up to them. He stopped and gasped for just a moment, “General, there’s a message from Stronghold 6. Someone’s gone missing and Emma sent a runner to ask if you’ll come.”

 

“Missing?” Tiberius asked.

 

“A group went out this morning from Six to gather food, but they came back one member short.”

 

Tiberius ruffled Jim’s hair, “Deliver the medicine to Taka and go straight back to Seven, ok? You’re in charge until I come back from Six.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Jim watched Tiberius until he was no longer visible before continuing down the tunnel. Jim went straight to see Taka, the older man wasn’t particularly lucid, but he seemed to recognize that he had company.

 

“Jimmy?”

 

“Hey, Taka,” Jim replied. “We got a bunch of medicine on our last supply run and I brought you a course of antibiotics. It’s stronger than the last one. It should help.”

 

Taka shook his head tiredly.

 

“Come on,” Jimmy said gently. “If you don’t take it you aren’t going to get better.”

 

“I’m not going to take a third round of antibiotics when these could be given to a child.”

 

“I promise I didn’t take these from a kid that needed them,” Jim swore. “We got a bunch and there will be enough to keep us going for a while. Please, Taka?”

 

Jim lingered around long enough to help Taka sit up long enough to eat some crackers and take the first pill. He drifted off to sleep soon and Jim bumped into Hoshi on his way out of Stronghold Six.

 

“Hey,” Jim said quietly, “I brought some antibiotics for Taka. He needs to take them twice a day until all the pills are gone. They should be taken with water and its better if his stomach isn’t empty.”

 

Hoshi leaned forward and kissed his forehead, “Thank you, Jimmy.”

 

Jim smiled a little, “We look out for our own.”

 

By the time he got back to Stronghold 7, dinner was almost over but Kevin had managed to save him an apple and a bit of stale bread left over from a supply run the previous day. Since Tiberius still wasn’t back, Jim walked around the Stronghold and did his best to check in on everyone and ensure the younger kids got to bed at a reasonable time. He checked with the sentry to see if any messages had come from Tiberius or Emma before deciding to wait up a little while longer for his Grandfather to return.

 

Their conversation weighed heavily on his mind. It hadn’t exposed him to a side of his mother he had previously been unfamiliar, but it bothered him more than he had let on. His whole life he’d never been close with Winona and even though he knew why, he still couldn’t really understand it. How could she be so wrapped up in her grief for George Kirk that she felt so little for her own children? How could she be so desperate to escape her unhappiness that she’d marry a man like Frank?

 

“Jimmy?”

 

Jimmy looked up in surprise, “Kevin? I thought you went to bed.”

 

Kevin rubbed his eyes, “Yeah, but I woke up and I saw you weren’t there. Is the General still at Six?”

 

Jimmy nodded, “Yeah. Maybe he just decided to stay there for a night?”

 

It was unlikely and the doubt on Kevin’s face at the suggestion reinforced that. Aside from Tiberius, there were very few actual adults in Stronghold Seven and he rarely left for any length of time and had never before been absent overnight. Kevin vanished into the supply closet before returning with two glasses of water and dropping into the chair beside Jimmy.

 

“I’ll wait up with you.”

 

“You don’t have to,”

 

“I know,” Kevin replied, “But I’m gonna anyway. Plus I woke up because Katie was biting my finger in her sleep. Girls got some damn pointy teeth.”

 

Jimmy laughed and took a sip of his water. Whatever reply he had for Kevin was lost when he placed the glass on the table and noticed the disturbance in the water. Frowning, he moved to his knees and placed his hands on the floor. Looking up, he met Kevin’s gaze.

 

“Do you feel that?”

 

“Is that an Earthquake?” Kevin demanded.

 

“I don’t think so…” Jimmy trailed off.

 

“What then?”

 

Jimmy crossed the door and opened the door, joining the sentry in the tunnel. The vibrations beneath there feet were stronger and there was a sound…

 

“What is that?”

 

“It's an Earthquake,” Kevin said. “It has to be! What else could it be?”

 

The teenaged sentry turned wide, frightened eyes to Jimmy and Kevin, “I think we’re being bombed.”

 

Jim darted forward, running until he reached the spot where the tunnel separated into several different paths. He approached each, freezing briefly when he realized that the vibrations were coming from Stronghold Six. Turning around, he seized Kevin by the shoulders. “Wake everyone up and get them together. Seal yourselves in. Don’t let anyone in unless you know them.”

 

“Jimmy-”

 

Jimmy shoved him, “Do it now!”

 

He took off running, ignoring Kevin’s shouts. The closer he got to Six, the warmer it got until he reached the door to the Stronghold. There was no sentry, but when he pushed touched the doorknob a flashed of heat had him pulling his hand away in pain. Wrapping his shirt around his hand, Jim managed to get the door open and was faced with what seemed like a wall of fire. Beyond the flames there was nothing but wreckage. He took a step forward, but there was no way for him to get past the flames.

 

Over the cackling of the fire, screams and cries met his ears. He caught sight of a little girl, perhaps ten years old, standing in a corner, screaming and cringing away from the approaching flames.

 

“Hey!” He shouted and waved his arms, “Come this way!”

 

She was frozen for a moment before moving towards him, doing her best to jump over the fires and shielding her face with her shirt when she couldn’t. Once she was beside him in the tunnel, she wiped the ash and tears from her face. There were burns on her hands and forearms and she smelt strongly of singed hair.

 

“Everything is on fire.”

 

“What happened?” He asked.

 

“I don’t know. We heard this sound, like the sounds the planes used to make when they flew over the fields to fertilize the crops and then all of the sudden there was this voice,” her lower lip trembled. “It was… it was _him_.”

 

“Him?”

 

She shook her head, “Him. It was him!”

 

“Him… Kodos?”

 

She swallowed thickly, “I heard his voice. He was on the surface, but there was this communicator and we could all hear him over it.”

 

“What did he say?”

 

“He said we had been found guilty of fleeing lawful execution, treason and sedition. He said we would all die. He said Tiberius Kirk would die. Everyone started to running in different directions and then… And then they bombed us.”

 

“Did you see what happened to the General or Emma?”

 

She shook her head, “No. The bombs hit this part of the Stronghold first and I saw people running in the other direction, so they probably got out through the tunnel to Five or One.”

 

“Follow this tunnel until you hit Seven,” Jim told her. “Kevin might not let you in if he doesn’t recognize you, but stay there, okay?”  


“Kevin Riley?”

 

Jim nodded.

 

“I was friends with his sister Casey,” she said quietly. “He knows me.” She hesitated briefly, one of her hands wrapped around her wrists. “The General wasn’t near me when it started. It’s possible he got out on the other side.”

 

“Tell Kevin to send runners to liaise with all the other Strongholds,” Jim managed, forcing aside the fear that was trying to claw its way out from his chest. “Make sure everyone knows what happened. We have enough room in Seven to take all the wounded, so have them sent there. And anyone with any kind of medical training… even if it’s just Scouts first aid…have them all come to Seven to help with the wounded.”

 

She nodded and without saying anything else disappeared down the tunnel towards Stronghold 7. Jim remained until the fire died down enough for him to get inside. He lost count of the bodies he saw, though none of them were Tiberius, and he dragged all those that still had a pulse out into tunnel. Half an hour later he’d checked all that he could, part of the Stronghold had caved in and even when the fire died down he couldn’t get to the other side, and evacuated all those he could find who had survived. There were ten of them, all children and terribly wounded.

 

A group from Stronghold 7 came and did their best to carry all the wounded back. Jim situated the little girl he was carrying, doing his best not to look at the blood smeared all over her face, and flagged down a young woman with a stethoscope to look her over.

 

It took him a few minutes to locate Kevin in the chaos, but the moment the younger boy saw him he hugged him tightly. “You aren’t allowed to run off like that without me,” Kevin said.

 

“Do we know what happened?”

 

“Hoshi sent word. About fifteen people made it out uninjured and got to Stronghold 5. About another ten or so were injured.”

 

“So about thirty five people survived out of ninety,” Jim asked quietly.

 

“Yeah. Apparently one of the people in Stronghold 6 made a deal with Kodos. He gave up the location in return for amnesty. But it seems like maybe he only told them about Six, because none of the other Stronghold’s were attacked.”

 

“And Tiberius? Emma?”

 

Kevin exhaled slowly, “Emma… I don’t know. I’ve heard conflicting reports. She was standing very close to where the first bomb hit. She told them to get Tiberius so some of the kids from Six dragged him out. When they went back for Emma, they couldn’t find him. Jimmy… about Tiberius…its not good.”

 

“Is he alive?” Jim demanded.

 

Kevin nodded, “Yeah, he’s alive. But Hoshi said it doesn’t look good. They stabilized him there, but most of the medical equipment is in Seven so they’re bringing him here.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6**

Amanda Grayson woke slowly, unsurprised that the hand that reached out for her husband encountered only cold sheets. He required far less sleep than she did and she was accustomed to waking long after him. She found Sarek in his office, his eyes landing on her briefly before turning his attention to his conversation with T’Pol. His head was tilted in a way that she’d long ago translated to mean he was displeased with something, but she did not linger long enough to overhear the topic of their conversation except that it was related to one of the Admirals.

 

After readying for the day, Amanda found Spock helping himself to some fruit for breakfast. He obligingly accepted a kiss on the forehead and returned the gesture of affection by touching her arm briefly.

 

“Good morning, mother.”

 

“Morning, sweetie.”

 

She accepted the piece of fruit he offered, taking the chair beside him, and glancing over the news on her datapad briefly. Sarek joined them not long later and though his annoyance was not fully erased from the way he held himself, Amanda said nothing on it until after Spock had excused himself from the table.

 

“What was that about?”

 

Sarek sipped his tea, “T’Pol has an affection for Admiral Archer due to their shared experiences on the Enterprise that allows him to unduly influence her.”

 

“In what way?” Amanda asked.

 

“Admiral Archer has become concerned about the situation on Tarsus IV and has convinced T’Pol that there is some truth to the wild rumors of drought and starvation. Admiral Archer is an intelligent man and an accomplished officer, but he tends towards unnecessary suspicion at times.”

 

“You are unconvinced?”

 

“I am,” Sarek replied. “Though I am not opposed to the investigation she proposes, there is no evidence of wrongdoing and I find it unlikely that a Governor appointed by the President of the Federation would mismanage such a resource to this degree.”

 

“So you are going to Tarsus IV?”

 

“If I am asked, as T’Pol believes I will be, then yes. I will go.” Sarek looked up from his tea, his expression softening, “Can you be parted from your work long enough to join me, k’diwa?”

 

Amanda reached across the table, not bothering to hide her smile in private, and was quiet for a moment as Sarek slipped his hand into hers. “I can, though I am reluctant to leave Spock.”

 

Sarek curled his fingers around her wrist, “Is our son unwell?”

 

“He is not sick,” Amanda confirmed, “But I believe he is lonely.” She was quiet briefly, “He has few friends, Sarek. I hate to leave him alone for any extended time.”

 

Sarek was quiet for a moment as he considered Amanda’s comments. He ignored his instinct to brush her words aside. Amanda was far more adept at understanding their son than he, and despite Spock’s appearance he was half human and Sarek often did a poor job of taking that into consideration. It had been years since he had expressed any inappropriate emotional responses, but perhaps that only meant that he had gained control and not that he had moved past the feelings that had caused the responses.

 

“I see no reason why Spock cannot join us,” Sarek said after a moment. “What is your opinion on this?”

 

Amanda smiled again and Sarek felt himself settle, “I’ll ask him, but I think he’ll say yes. He likes seeing new places.”

 

Spock had a curiosity for new things and new places that Sarek did not entirely understand because it went beyond a simple desire to learn. He had always assumed it to be an expression of his humanity, but he suddenly wondered if his desire to see new places was born out of a discomfort he often seemed to feel on his home planet. “Then I shall leave it you.”

 

It was scorching hot outside and Amanda paused at the door before venturing out into the dry, hot air. Amanda found her son in the garden, intent on an article on his datapad until he realized she had joined him. He stood when he caught sight of her. “Mother.” He paused briefly, “Mother, it is particularly hot today. Would you not be more comfortable inside?”

 

“I just want to talk to you for a minute, Spock. It’s not too bad.”

 

“You are already beginning to perspire. I will return inside so you will not be uncomfortable for our conversation,” Spock insisted. He offered her his arm and escorted her to an enclosed porch. Once she was seated, he left her side long enough to ensure cool air was circulating and to replicate her a cool beverage before taking the chair beside her.

 

Amanda sipped her iced lemonade with a small smile, “Thank you.”

 

“What did you wish to discuss, mother?”

 

“It’s likely your father will be sent off planet soon.”

 

As a child, Spock had often fidgeted when discomforted. As he grew and the habit ceased, Amanda learned to notice when he was unusually still and doing his best not to fidget. “Will you accompany him?”

 

“I’m considering it, but it depends on you.”

 

“Please clarify your meaning.”

 

Amanda smiled, “I thought if might be nice if you came with us to Tarsus IV. What do you think?”

 

“I believe the experience would be educational,” Spock replied.

 

Spock lingered on the porch for a while after his mother had left. Though the heat of Vulcan did not affect him like it did her, he also enjoyed cooler temperatures that most Vulcan’s found unpleasant. Tarsus IV was virtually unknown to him. All he knew was that it was a Federation Colony and consulting his datapad did not give him a plethora of additional information.

 

Spock hoped that they might leave immediately, but it was weeks before the official request from the Federation came and the journey to the Colony was not short. Though he would never express it, he felt something like anticipation as the departure date arrived. He took a window seat on the shuttle to the ship that would take them to the Colony and took a few minutes to study Vulcan from an orbital view. He had a certain fondness for the planet, but it was no great hardship for him to travel elsewhere. For the most part he was an oddity or an aberration to his peers and when he was not with his family most of his time was spent in solitude.

 

It was a warm, comfortable day when they arrived at the Colony and Spock was immediately impressed with the Capital city. They were taken directly to the Governor’s mansion and introductions were made.

 

The Governor of Tarsus IV, a man named Kodos, was calm and presentable but Spock interpreted his manner as arrogant with a speed that surprised him. His daughter, Lenore, was a few years younger than Spock, but immediately looked at him after their introduction with an interest that had Spock stepping closer to his mother.

 

They were also introduced to a pair of scientists who seemed to serve as the Governor’s main advisers, Thomas and Martha Leighton, as well as their daughter, a much younger girl called Ely. Lunch was served and Spock took the empty chair beside his mother and noticed that Ely Leighton darted towards the open chair at his other side and just barely beat out Lenore for the seat.

 

“Hi,” she offered a wide smile.

 

“Greetings, Ely Leighton.”

 

“Just Ely is fine. Is it okay if I call you Spock?”

 

He nodded his head, “Indeed. The rest of my name is exceedingly difficult for humans to pronounce.”

 

“That’s totally cool,” Ely said. “What does it sound like?”

 

“Xtmprszntwlfd S'chn T'gai Spock.”

 

Ely’s eyes widened, “That is the coolest thing ever. Say the first part again?”

 

“Xtmprszntwlfd.”

 

“Wow…” She shook her head, “Cool. There seems to be a startling lack of vowels in that name.”

 

“Indeed,” Spock replied. “In fact, my Mother is the only non-vulcan able to correctly pronounce our clan name. She is an extremely proficient linguist.”

 

Ely leaned forward to look around Spock, “Really, Lady Amanda?”

 

“Xtmprszntwlfd,” Amanda offered by way of an explanation, laughing a little at Ely’s awe. “Does your current study encompass xenolinguistics?”

 

“Denobulan,” she replied and Spock let his attention wander as they exchanged some basic greetings in the language.

 

“I think the rest of the afternoon is going to be pretty boring,” she turned her attention back to him and switched back to English without any warning. “If you want I can take you around on a tour of the city? I know all of the coolest places.”

 

“I do not mind places that are warm,” Spock said, “So you need not concern yourself on locating places of low temperature. Does the temperature in different parts of the city vary drastically?”

 

Ely frowned and for a moment Spock wondered if he had offended her with his question, but after a moment he interpreted her expression as one of confusion. However he was unsure what part of his inquiry was unclear to the younger girl.

 

“She means that she knows all the fun and interesting places, Spock,” Amanda offered quietly.

 

“Indeed?” Spock asked Ely, continuing when her smile returned and she nodded in agreement with Amanda. “I see. Mother, may I go with Ely Leighton to view all the…fun and interesting places?”

 

“Of course,” Amanda replied. “Just make sure you’re back in time for dinner.”

 

“I could come too,” Lenore piped up from her seat beside her father across the table.

 

Kodos looked up from his discussion with Sarek long enough to frown faintly in his daughter’s direction, “Lenore, you have lessons.”

 

Her shoulders dropped, “Yes, father.”

 

Though she was much younger than him, Spock was not bored in Ely’s company. She took him around the Capital, pointing out places of interest and sharing a little of the history of the Colony. They were moving through a particularly crowded park when Spock looked away from where he was walking as Ely pointed to a statue to explain its significance. He turned his attention back to path after a moment, but it was not in time to avoid a very sharp collision with a boy about his age.

 

Ely gasped in surprise, “Oh my god, Jimmy! What are you-” she let the sentence drop off.

 

Jimmy was dressed casually, with bright eyes and what seemed to be overly pale skin for a human living on a planet with such a climate. His eyes lingered on Ely briefly before returning to Spock and when he spoke there was something about it that seemed strained.

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you,” he glanced back at Ely briefly.

 

“It was an accident and I was not harmed,” Spock replied. “Were you?”

 

Jimmy shook his head, “No. Well, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

 

Ely was quiet for a moment, her eyes wide with alarm though Spock had no explanation for her agitation. “This is Spock,” she said after a moment. “His father is the head of the visiting Federation delegation.”

 

Jimmy lifted his hand in a perfect production of the ta’al and offered in flawless Vulcan. “T’nar jaral.”

 

“T’nar pak sorat y’rani,” Spock replied to the greeting, his lips moving upwards in a surprised smile that he didn’t realize he was offering. “Sarlah etek dvin’-tor.”

 

“Amstre tri,” Jimmy replied.

 

“Your Vulcan is…” Spock hesitated briefly, “It is extremely adequate.”

 

Jimmy smiled a little, “Thank you for the compliment. I should go,” he turned his attention back to Ely briefly. “I didn’t realize you weren’t alone.”

 

“How’s your grandfather?” Ely blurted in a rush.

 

“Same,” Jimmy replied, his expression tightening. “And Kevin says hi.”

 

“Hi back,” she said softly, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

 

“I’ll catch you later,” he said to Ely, taking a step away.

 

“Would you care to join us for our investigation of all the fun and interesting places?” Spock asked somewhat abruptly. “There is no need to disembark so soon if you have no other commitments.”

 

It wasn’t something that he could put exactly into words, but there was something about the human that interested him. The hint of a smile he had offered at Spock’s compliment to his Vulcan language skills had been…enchanting. And that was not a word Spock had ever thought of in relation to another person and it had him somewhat unsure. But it was apt and Spock desperately tried to think of a way, any way, to persuade Jimmy to remain in their company for at least a little longer.

 

“I’m expected home,” Jimmy replied.

 

“Do you live in the Capital?” Spock inquired quickly.

 

Jimmy shook his head, “No. I-”

 

“Oh holy hell,” Ely whispered, her expression panicked as she looked over his shoulder, “Jimmy, go. Go now.”

 

Jimmy was still, tense and alarmed for a moment, before he moved forward and disappeared into the crowd before Spock could call after him. His inquiry to Ely was caught in his mouth at the wide-eyed expression on Ely’s face when he turned to her. Her expression changed into a smile so relaxed and normal that it took Spock a moment register the change as two men in black uniforms joined them.

 

“Ms. Leighton,” one of them spoke. “You and Mr. Spock are requested to return to the Governor’s mansion at once. Ms. Kodos would like your company.”

 

“Okay,” Ely replied. “We’ll just finish our walk through the park and-”

 

“Immediately,” the other interrupted.

 

Ely said nothing, but nodded in agreement and their walk back to the mansion was conducted in silence. The men departed once they were on the grounds and Ely hesitated at the threshold.

 

“Spock…look…” Ely hesitated.

 

“Your behavior seems somewhat outside normal human interaction. Additionally, you used strong language previously and Jimmy departed in a hurry at the approach of the Militiamen.”

 

She swallowed thickly, “You were never supposed to even see him. We were going to tell your mother everything because Hoshi thinks she can be trusted because they’re friends,” Ely said in a rush, “But you can’t say anything about this. Seriously, you cannot tell anyone you saw him.”

 

“May I inquire as to why it must be a secret?”

 

“Because they think they got everyone who survived before you came and if they know he’s around, they’ll be on the look out,” she whispered. “And if they catch him, he’s dead.”

 

“What?” Spock demanded, mimicking her quietness. “Is this some sort of slang or-”

 

“No, I mean dead as in not breathing and dead,” Ely clarified. “And no matter what, don’t say anything about his Grandfather! Promise!”

 

“I-”

 

“Promise!” she insisted, desperation entering her voice. “You have to promise!”

 

“I promise,” Spock replied. “Please do not upset yourself so. I promise.”

 

The door opened and Lenore peered out, her expression tightening when she caught sight of Ely. “Ely,” she chastised, “Why are you making poor Mr. Spock stand out here.”

 

“We were just coming in,” Ely began.

 

Lenore huffed impatiently; “Run along, dear,” she said, utilizing a tone that Spock immediately realized was condescension. “I think your mother was looking for you.”

 

Ely hesitated briefly, before nodding. “I’ll see you at dinner, Spock.”

 

Spock hesitated briefly, thinking over the colloquiums his mother sometimes used. “I will…save you a seat?”

 

She laughed at that and disappeared into the mansion, leaving Spock with Lenore after a quick look of apology. Lenore straightened, smiling, “Well, come on. I thought I could show you this really lovely song I learned on the piano. I just know you’re going to love it. It’s quite difficult, but I’ve really mastered it and it sounds just gorgeous on my brand new piano. Oh and I’ve had some fresh fruit sent for so we can have a snack.”

 

Spock desperately wished he had the diplomatic skills to politely excuse himself so that it wouldn’t cause an incident if he bolted down the corridor after Ely. Though still a child and not as close to him in age as Lenore, Spock much preferred Ely’s company.   Unfortunately he could think of no plausible excuse and was trapped with her company, though he did enjoy the fresh fruit, until his mother came to rescue him with an entirely inappropriate smile on her face.

 

“Mother,” he said as they left Lenore.

 

Her cheeks were red in a way that indicated she was struggling not to laugh. “I haven’t said anything.”

 

“I am sufficiently acquainted with your character to know what you are currently thinking.”

 

Quiet laughter finally escaped her despite her efforts, “I think you have an admirer in her, sweetie.”

 

“Perish the thought,” he replied dryly. The sound of her laughter pleased him. Happiness and amusement were not things she often expressed openly, outside of their family home, on Vulcan. To see her carefree was pleasing.

 

“You’re a very handsome and intelligent young man. It was only a matter of time before-”

 

“ _Mother_.”

 

She laughed again, though he recognized that it came from affection and merriment instead of mockery. “How was your tour with Ely?”

 

“It was…perplexing,” he admitted after a moment. “I will share the details with you at a later date.”

 

She studied him briefly, “Very well.”

 

The dinner was a much larger affair and the Governor kept Sarek, Amanda and all the other adults at the table engaged in a discussion about a party he was planning to officially welcome the delegation the next evening. Lenore gushed with excitement about the party, offering tidbits about her new dress and staring expectantly in Spock’s direction. True to his word, Spock had kept a seat beside him open for Ely, though she was far quieter during dinner than she had been at lunch.

 

“Mama,” Ely said suddenly, “May I come to the party?”

 

Martha Leighton hesitated briefly, glancing at her husband. Thomas merely shrugged at looked at Kodos questioningly. The Governor offered an Ely a bland smile.

 

“Of course you may. It would not do for Mr. Spock and my Lenore to be the only young people at the event. I’ll suggest some of the other attendees bring their children as well.”

 

Lenore leaned forward, but with a suddenly clarity on what she might say Spock turned fully in his chair to face Ely. “In thanks for the time you took to show me around the Capital today, might I have the honor of escorting you to the party, Ely Leighton?”

 

A surprised smile spread across her features, “Oh, well…that sounds fun. Sure.”

 

Amanda quickly turned a laugh into a cough, which drew Sarek’s attention. “Are you well, Amanda?”

 

She took a sip of her water, “Yes, excuse me. I’m fine.”

 

There was no time to speak with either of his parents before he retired for the evening. He woke the next morning and after researching into social norms for attending a human party, he began to contemplate about where he might find a corsage to present to Ely Leighton. And it seemed that the color of the dress was information he required before he could sort out the proper type of corsage to gift her with, as was his responsibility as her escort to the part. Spock decided it would simply be best to go and ask Ely Leighton about the color of her dress and if she had any strong opinions on corsages rather than risk failing in his duty as her escort.

 

He was wondering if his father was aware of this human tradition as he slipped out of the villa that had been given to his family for the duration of the stay. Marks on the front door caught his attention as he was closing it and he stilled when he realized they were words.

 

**TIBERIUS KIRK LIVES. THE REVOLUTION IS A LIE. FREE TARSUS.**

 

Confused, Spock moved back into the house, “Mother?”

 

When there was no response, Spock moved through the villa until he found her studying an assortment of datapads in a small office. “Mother, may I interrupt you?”

 

She looked up from her work, smiling as she brushed a lock of hair out of her face. “Of course, Spock.”

 

“Are you familiar with the name Tiberius Kirk?”

 

She frowned briefly, “I don’t think so. Why?”

 

“The front door was vandalized with a statement that he lives.”

 

“What?” Frowning, she followed him to the front door. However in the few minutes he had taken him to locate her, the message had disappeared from the door.

 

“It was just…” Spock trailed off.

 

Still frowning, Amanda gently touched her fingers to the door and was quiet for a moment when they came away damp. “What ever was here was cleaned off. Tell me again what it said.”

 

“Tiberius Kirk lives. The Revolution is a lie. Free Tarsus.” He hesitated briefly, “Perhaps it is nothing, Mother, however I feel this may be connected to a strange encounter I had while I was with Ely Leighton exploring all the fun and interesting places.”

 

“What happened?” Amanda asked.

 

Spock hesitated further, “She solicited a promise that I would not speak of what happened. You have often told me that it is important to maintain confidences and keep promises. I am conflicted on how I should proceed.”  


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 7**

Less than a full day after the attack, Jim stood at the edge of the crowd, hood pulled up to cover his face, and watched with a sick feeling in his gut as the people cheered when Governor Kodos appeared before them.

 

“Friends,” he called genially, raising his hands for silence. He continued when most of the noise had died down. “Friends, I come before you today to share with you the news that the Revolution is at long last, finally, over. The self appointed General, Tiberius Kirk, and all those who escaped their lawful sentences, are dead!” He paused for a moment, smiling indulgent when the crowd roared with approval. “We are now, truly, at peace, and we need never fear that we must go without to support those who are the dregs of society. Tiberius Kirk is dead!”

 

The crowd took up the chant, “Tiberius Kirk is dead!”

 

“Tiberius Kirk lives,” Jim mouthed. “Your Revolution is a farce. Free Tarsus.”

 

Free Tarsus. Jim remembered his Grandfather saying that. Before Kodos, Tarsus IV had been a nice, comfortable place to live. And though he’d been appointed to power, Tiberius still insisted that Kodos had stolen Tarsus from the people. He was an occupier.

 

Jim raised his fist with the others, but could not bring himself to utter the words. Tiberius Kirk wasn’t dead and Jim had no intention of letting them forget him. When the time was right, when it wouldn’t risk everyone to reveal that the General lived and they were far more than Kodos thought, Jim was going to make sure he never forgot that Tiberius Kirk lived. That there were hundreds of them who lived, and maybe they lived under the dirt and in the dark but they still had life.

 

The cheers of the crowd turned to squeals of delight as colorful fireworks exploded overheard. Jim moved through the crowd, keeping away from the others as best as he could, until he reached the park. A group of teenagers around his age were passing around a bag of chips and laughing amongst themselves. One of them playfully pushed the other, and the bag of chips dropped and spilled everywhere. Laughing louder, they kicked the spilled chips under a nearby table. For a moment Jim wanted to hit them, but his anger was soon replaced with weariness.

 

It wasn’t that his anger was gone, but that it had become so honed in on Kodos and on the collaborator that there just wasn’t enough to waste on everyone that deserved it.

 

As he walked back to the Stronghold, Jim couldn’t help but wonder about the collaborator. Was he happy and rich, immune from his sentence? Had Kodos given him a seat on one of the infrequent transports leaving the Colony? Or had he simply killed him when his usefulness had run out? Whoever the collaborator was, he’d only told Kodos about one Stronghold instead of all of them and maybe he ought to be grateful for that, but Jim wished him dead. He hoped that Kodos had killed the man the moment the attack was over. Jim hoped that the man hadn’t seen it coming, had died surprised and afraid like everyone who had been killed in the attack.

 

“Did you get it?”

 

Jim met Kevin at the door and took the small recording device from his pocket, handing it to Kevin. “Yeah, I got it. He was very self congratulatory and the worthy cheered to hear he’d killed an old man and all the children that had escaped his squad of murderers.”

 

“I’ll see that copies are made and distributed,” Kevin replied. “Nothing happened while you were gone, except everyone replied that they’d be here tomorrow for the meeting.”

 

“Thanks, Kevin. I’m going to go sit with Tiberius for a while.”

 

There was a certain comfort in listening to the steady beat of the heart monitor, but Jim had begun to give up hope that the other man would wake. He wasn’t a young man and his injuries from the attack were far beyond the scope of their limited medical supplies. Tiberius Kirk was entirely too stubborn to die, but he was in a coma and there was nothing any of them could do about it.

 

Days passed in a similar fashion and Jim spent every moment he could sitting with Tiberius and waiting for his grandfather to wake up. Abruptly he remembered what it had been like before the Revolution, but after things had begun to go badly. He remembered coming home a little earlier than his grandfather had expected and finding the man at his terminal talking to his mother, pleading with her to let Jim go back to Earth.

 

_“Winona, it isn’t safe here. Things are spiraling out of control.”_

_“You offered to take the boy,” Winona replied. “I’m not letting you send him home early because he’s being a little difficult.”_

_“There is nothing wrong with Jim,” Tiberius spat._

_“He can’t come back yet,” Winona insisted. “Frank said no.”_

_“He’s your son.”_

_“He’s a menace,” she replied._

_“He’s nothing of the sort,” Tiberius snarled. “You have to let him come back, Winona. It isn’t safe here.”_

_“I don’t have time for your paranoia, Tiberius. I have a family to take care of.”_

_“You mean a husband. Because one of your children is here and last I heard the other ran away. Where exactly is George Junior, Winona?”_

“Jimmy?”

 

Jim looked over his shoulder, glancing briefly at Kevin before his gaze landed on watery-eyed Katie. “Hey,” he stood, lifting her easily, “What’s wrong, sweet girl?”

 

“Can’t sleep. Need a song.”

 

“Sure, okay,” Jim agreed, and he walked back with Kevin and Katie to their room. Once Katie was settled in the cot, he sat beside it and offered her one of his hands. “Which song?”

 

“You pick.”

 

Jim was quiet for a moment, before he began to hum softly. “Ohh, people look among you…” Katie was asleep before the song was over, but Jim sang it all the way through and took a moment to watch her as she slept. He stood up, moving to leave, but Kevin pushed him in the direction of his bed.

 

“You aren’t good to anyone dead on your feet, Jimmy.”

 

The last thing he remembered was Kevin covering him with the towels before he feel asleep and remained so until the next morning. The meeting was almost physically painful and the absence of Emma and Tiberius was like a suffocating. He updated everyone on Tiberius and again confirmed that though nothing had been found of Emma’s body, she was not among the survivors and was assumed dead.

 

Jim took a deep breath, “Hoshi, how’s Taka?”

 

“Breathing a little easier,” she admitted quietly. “Thank you.”

 

Niall ran his hands through his hair, “We need to make a decision. What are we going to do?”

 

“Nothing has changed,” Jim said.

 

Kiang pressed his lips together for a moment, “Do you really think we can do this without Tiberius?”

 

“We have to,” Jim said. “This is our only chance. We can’t hide here forever. We have to do this and we have to do it now or we’re going to die. I haven’t spent all these weeks hiding underground and eating scraps to give up now. Fuck that. I refuse to die. We’re going to survive this and we’re going to be there when they stand Kodos up in front of the entire Federation and sentence him like a common criminal.”

 

Or maybe, Jim thought, if the opportunity arose he’d kill the man himself. It wasn’t even an alarming thought, which in itself was perhaps worth some concern.   But Jim couldn’t manage it. Kodos deserved to die for what he’d done. Prison seemed far too lenient. Why should he get to live on after he’d killed so many people?

 

Kiang nodded slowly, “Alright, Jim. We’ll continue with the plan. We need to get a copy of all of the evidence to Amanda Grayson.”

 

“I can do it,” Jim said. “I can get into the city without being caught.”

 

“Getting into the party is going to be different from getting into the city,” Hoshi cautioned. “Ambassador Sarek is set to arrive today, so the party will probably be in the next couple of days.”

 

Jim ran his hands over his face tiredly, “I need to talk to my contact. I’ll get the exact details of the party and we can move on from there. Can we meet back tomorrow morning?”

 

After the meeting ended, Jim went to find Kevin but Hoshi caught up to him. She hugged him tightly and again thanked him for thinking of Taka when the medicine had arrived.

 

“Be careful.”

 

“I will.”

 

“Jim,” she took hold of his shoulders, “Please be careful.”

 

“I promise, Hoshi. I’ll be careful.”

 

Except he wasn’t and he didn’t realize until it was too late that he was making a mistake. Jim caught sight of Ely, relieved and surprised he’d managed to find her without a planned meeting, and it didn’t occur to him until they’d collided that the guy beside her was not just beside her, but was actually with her.

 

“Oh my god, Jimmy! What are you-” Ely cried out.

 

Jim froze, even more startled to see the distinctly tips of the boy’s ears. He was Vulcan. He was far too young to be the Ambassador, but there were no Vulcans in the colony so he had to be connected to the visit.

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you.” It was hard to force the words out because even once his alarm calmed, there was something about the Vulcan that kept his attention

 

“It was an accident and I was not harmed,” he replied evenly. “Were you?”

 

Jimmy shook his head, “No. Well, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” There was something… he didn’t fully understand it but his brain was screaming at him to retreat.

 

Except Ely was suddenly talking and Jim was stilled by her words. “This is Spock,” she said after a moment. “His father is the head of the visiting Federation delegation.”

 

He was Sarek’s son. He was utterly distracting with his brown eyes and his not quite expressionless face, but he was the son of the ambassador. Jim was torn between blurting everything to him or running away and hoping he didn’t find the encounter strange. Despite all their plans, they might not be able to see Amanda Grayson… but Spock was standing in front of him and there was something in his face that made Jim trust him.

 

“T’nar jaral.”

 

It wasn’t until he registered the faint surprise on Spock’s face that he realized he’d replied to the introduction in Vulcan.

 

“T’nar pak sorat y’rani,” Spock replied to the greeting, his eyes bright with interest. “Sarlah etek dvin’-tor.”

 

“Amstre tri,” Jimmy replied.

 

“Your Vulcan is…” Spock hesitated briefly, “It is extremely adequate.”

 

Jimmy smiled a little, “Thank you for the compliment. I should go,” he turned his attention back to Ely briefly, willing her to understand that he needed to talk to her but that it couldn’t be in front of Spock. “I didn’t realize you weren’t alone.”

 

She nodded, before blurting out, “How’s your grandfather?”

 

“Same,” Jimmy replied, his expression tightening. “And Kevin says hi.”

 

“Hi back,” she said softly, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

 

“I’ll catch you later,” he said to Ely, taking a step away. It was time to go. It was beyond time to step away, but he was still looking at Spock’s face.

 

“Would you care to join us for our investigation of all the cool and interesting places? There is no need to disembark so soon if you have no other commitments.”

 

“I’m expected home,” Jimmy made up.

 

“Do you live in the Capital?” Spock inquired quickly.

 

Jimmy shook his head, “No. I-”

 

“Oh holy hell,” Ely whispered, her expression panicked as she looked over his shoulder, “Jimmy, go. Go now.”

 

Jim froze, well aware of who must be behind him to make Ely panic. With a final look at Spock, Jim went forward and disappeared into the crowd. He looped back around the city and went to his usual spot to meet Ely. She hugged him fiercely when she arrived a little over an hour later.

 

“You almost gave me a heart attack, Jimmy.”

 

“I’m sorry. Did he…”

 

“He won’t say anything. I can’t stay long, I have to be back for dinner.”

 

“When is the party?”

 

“Tomorrow,” Ely replied. “What’s the plan?”

 

“I’ll be there with the evidence to show Amanda Grayson. Do you think your father or mother can get her alone?”

 

“Yes,” Ely said after a moment. “Just tell me what needs to be done and I’ll handle it.”

 

Jim’s eyes narrowed, “Ely, you need to keep your head down at the party. Ely…?”

 

Because if it didn’t work out, if he couldn’t get to Amanda Grayson or she didn’t believe him, Jim had a back up plan. He hasn’t admitted it to anyone, not even Kevin, but if it didn’t work he wasn’t going to just give up and go back to Seven. He was going to make them pay, to make them sit up and take notice and he didn’t care what it cost to do it. But after everything Ely had done, he wanted her well out of the way of whatever happened at the party. He would do what he could to make sure she was safe. And maybe once the dust settled the future that she and Kevin so desperately wanted wouldn’t be so far out of their grasp.

 

Ely didn’t meet his gaze, “I’ll pass along your message, Jim.”

 

“Okay.”

 

They talked for a little while longer, working out the exact details of where and when Amanda Grayson would be guided to meet him during the party, before Jim stood to leave. Jim kissed her forehead, “Thanks, Ely.”

 

“See you, Jimmy,” She replied.

 

The walk back to Stronghold 7 was quiet, but Kevin was waiting for him when he returned and the expression on his face had Jim stop several feet away from him. “Kevin…?”

 

Kevin sighed, “Jimmy…”

 

Jim took a step back, “No.” He shook his head, “No. I don’t want to hear it. Don’t tell me. Just… just don’t tell me.”

 

Kevin was still for a moment before he moved forward, “Jimmy, no. Fuck, listen to me. Tiberius is alive. Nothing has changed ewith him, okay? This isn’t about Tiberius.”

 

Jim fought to catch his breath, because he suddenly felt like he’d run a marathon and his heart was trying to leap out of his chest. “Tell me. What happened?”

 

“It’s Taka,” Kevin replied quietly. “He… he died.”

 

“Wh-what?” Jim demanded, “It can’t be. He… I just saw him! I brought him antibiotics.”

 

“It was too late,” Kevin replied.

 

“But he had the antibiotics,” Jim whispered. “They were stronger. They were going to make him better.”

 

Kevin took his head, “He was too sick. His only chance was a hospital, Jimmy. There was nothing anyone here could have done.”

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Part 8**

The day of the party brought a rain like nothing Spock had ever seen and to him it seemed like magic. He spent most of the morning sitting by the window and doing a poor job of focusing on his studies because to know about such rain was entirely different from seeing it.

 

His conversation with his mother weighed heavily on his mind. Neither of them had enough information to draw a concrete conclusion, but he knew she was deeply concerned about what he had shared.

 

“Mother, may I go for a walk?”

 

“It’s raining, sweetheart,” Amanda replied.

 

“Yes, I know,” Spock replied. “But… It does not rain like this on Vulcan and sometimes it is better to experience than to simply observe, is it not? Objectively, I know about the rain. I understand the meteorological process, but that is meaninglessly unless I know what it feels like when such rain falls on my face. Is it not?”

 

Amanda stared at him for a long moment and fought hard to keep her expression neutral. Though she knew he was half human, her son so often presented himself as though he was fully Vulcan especially as he grew, that these little glimpses of his humanity always surprised and pleased her. “Go on, but don’t wander too far.”

 

Spock accepted the kiss on his cheek from her and touched her shoulder in reply before slipping out of the villa and retracing the tour Ely Leighton had taken him on the previous day.

 

The rain was…ineffable.

 

It fell on his cheeks and made his hair stick to his face and his neck and there was a feeling of something that might be joy glowing in his chest and he kept going forward because he wasn’t sure what else he could possibly do. After ascertaining that there was no on else about, Spock stuck his tongue out and accessed that rain water tasted like normal water except that there was a quality about it he could only describe as fresh.

 

A flash of blue caught his attention and Spock moved beyond the street into a small park and caught sight of a person hunched against a tree, shivering in the rain and making what he assessed were likely quiet sounds of distress. It seemed like an unlikely place to linger for a respite during a rainstorm.

 

“I beg your pardon,” Spock spoke over the sound of the wind as he moved around the tree, “Are you in need of assista- Jimmy?”

 

James’ head lifted from where it rested against his knees, his eyes wide with surprise and a fear that Spock could not account for. “It’s you. Oh fuck,” he whispered.

 

Spock startled, “I apologize, it was not my intention to frighten you. I am Spock. We met previously with I was with Ely Lei-”

 

“I remember,” Jim interrupted quietly. “What are you doing out in the rain, Spock?”

 

“It does not rain like this on Vulcan. I was…intrigued. Why are you out in this weather, Jimmy?”

 

He smiled a little, “Jimmy is just a nickname. My full name is James, but people usually call me Jim or Jimmy.”

 

“I would not wish to take liberties with your name.”

 

“It isn’t a liberty,” Jim replied quietly. “You can call me whatever you want, honest.” He tilted his head up towards the rain, “It hasn’t rained here in more days than I can count, Spock. I forgot what it felt like it. But here it is, like its come at the perfect time to wash away all his sins and bring about a new Tarsus.”

 

Spock shifted to sit against the tree beside Jim, uncaring of the mud that immediately soaked into his jeans. “Your words seem sad, Jim.”

 

Jim ran a hand through his hair and Spock suddenly realized that the wetness on his face was from more than just the rain. It did not happen often, but Spock had occasionally witnessed his mother with a similar redness around her eyes.

 

“Someone I knew died.”

 

Spock stilled, “Your grandfather?”

 

“No,” Jim replied. “His name was Takashi Kimura and he was hero. He died of pneumonia like we’re back in the Dark Ages or something.”

 

“I am unfamiliar with this ailment,” Spock replied, “But… S'ti th'laktra.”

 

“Nemaiyo.”

 

Spock studied him carefully, and after a moment he shifted to put his arm around Jim’s shoulders as he had once seen his human grandfather do to his human grandmother when she was unhappy. The tension in his face eased a little and for a while they were quiet.

 

“Jim?”

 

“Yeah, Spock?”

 

“How do you speak Vulcan so fluently?”

 

Jim leaned his head against the tree, “I got bored of being a smartass in English, so I branched out.”

 

“Forgive me, but I do not understand your meaning.”

 

“I like words,” he amended after a moment. “I got bored with English because sometimes it feels so imprecise. I got my hands on a bunch of Vulcan educational films and once I had a good base I was able to expand my vocabulary without too much trouble.”

 

“Such self motivation is admirable.”

 

Jim laughed, “I usually get annoying, so I’ll take admirable.”

 

“I do not believe you are annoying.”

 

Jim met his gaze and replied quietly, “Thanks, Spock. You’re an okay guy.”

 

Spock considered the words briefly before nodding, “Thank you, James. I believe that you too, are an okay guy.”

 

“Will you tell me about Vulcan?”

 

His mind was filled with images of the red, of the deserts and the mountain ranges. “There is beauty there,” Spock replied. “But for me, it has always been tempered by the hostility I face from many of my peers.”

 

Jim mouth opened a little, “Really?”

 

“I do not…” Spock hesitated, “It is not something I speak of casually.”

 

“You don’t have to tell me,” Jim replied.

 

“On the contrary, I find that I am amiable to discussing it with you if it is not an imposition.” Spock was quiet for a moment, staring at his hands. “I cannot imagine there is anything I would refuse to discuss with you, James. I feel…putaurau… and I believe that I could tell you anything. Do you know… are you familiar with the phrase shan’hal’lak?”

 

Jim nodded and managed a somewhat scratchy reply, “Yeah. I know it.”

 

Spock looked up to meet his gaze, but there was fear and alarm on Jim’s face and it felt like a punch in the stomach. His hope faded into something sour in his mouth. “I have overstepped.”

 

Jim laughed and Spock recognized that the sound was utterly divorced from humor or happiness. “Would that I have met you in any other way but this, Spock. When I first saw you, I felt… shaukaush…. And I never wanted it to go away.”

 

“There is no need for it to go away,” Spock replied.

 

“Fuck,” Jim hissed, moving to his knees. “I can’t do this. I have to go.” Despite his proclamation he was still for a moment, but he moved suddenly just when Spock would have spoken.

 

Warm lips pressed against his and Spock vaguely realized he was so still he wasn’t even breathing. Jim’s lips moved gently against his and Spock was still because he honestly had no idea how he was supposed to respond. Was he supposed to remain still? Should he close his eyes? Where was the best place to put his hands?

 

Spock rested his hands on Jim’s shoulders and kept them there as they continued to kiss. Jim cursed to himself and tried to pull away, but Spock followed him and kissed him again.

 

“I would kiss you.”

 

“Are you not currently kissing me?” Spock inquired, shifting to press a kiss to the corner of Jim’s mouth.

 

Spock still when he felt Jim’s fingers brush his wrist. “I would kiss you,” he repeated.

 

Spock nodded and turned his attention to watch as Jim’s fingers moved across his hand to caress his own. His breath escaped him in a rush and he struggle to contain an emotional reaction.

 

“Do you like it?”

 

Spock nodded, “It is pleasing.”

 

“The look on your face,” Jim whispered and without separating their fingers he moved to take Spock’s mouth in another kiss.

 

“I find you equally distracting.”

 

“Enticing,” Jim whispered.

 

“That too,” Spock agreed. He shifted enough to fully intertwine both of his hands with Jim’s. Jim’s lips moved across his jaw and his neck and when his teeth pressed in a startling bite to his neck Spock had a prolonged moment of sharp pleasure.

 

It was only because he was so caught up in the moment that it actually took a few seconds before Spock realized what had happened. His chill was gone, his clothes were dry and clean and it was no longer raining on them. Spock seized Jim’s shoulders and pulled away from him.

 

‘Spock?’

 

Spock trembled, because while he saw Jim’s lips move he did not hear him. He felt the word echo within him, bounce around his head and settle deep in the pleasure centers of his brain. Except suddenly there was a sharp spike of alarm and Spock traced the fear back to Jim.

 

‘We are joined in a mind meld.’

 

Most of the fear retreated, leaving only a hint of uncertainty. ‘How is that possible?’

 

‘I apologize, but I have no explanation.   I am as surprised as you are, Jim.’

 

Jim smirked, ‘Do you meld with everyone you kiss, Spock?’

 

‘As you are the only being I have ever kissed, I have no data on which to base any kind of conclusion.’

 

‘I was your first kiss?’

 

‘Indeed,’ Spock replied. ‘But perhaps we should focus on the situation at hand.’

 

‘Is this uncomfortable for you?’

 

‘It is the opposite of uncomfortable,’ Spock admitted, ‘But I do not wish to intrude on your privacy. That I have allowed this to happen without your expressed permission is inexcusable.’

 

‘No,’ Jim replied. ‘I like it. It feels…soft. It feels like a soft, warm blanket and I like it. I could stay like this forever.’

 

‘We cannot, petakov.’

 

‘Why not?’ Jim asked. ‘Everything that is bad and wrong is gone and I feel you,’ Jim wiggled his fingers. ‘This is special. Why would I want to leave?’

 

Spock struggled to turn the reply into words, ‘You are always welcome.’ Because Jim’s idea was tempting. It would be so easy to just relax into it, to let the meld take them deeper and deeper until they were indistinct. ‘But we should go back. I will not risk harming you.’

 

Jim’s shoulders slumped.

 

‘James…’ Spock studied him, ‘What is it that you fear?’

 

‘I don’t want to die,’ Jim admitted. ‘But even more than that I don’t want to die angry and afraid. Taka’s death was unexpected and it ate up all my hope. We’re all going to die and there is nothing I can do about it. I can’t protect any of them. Kodos is going to find us and this time he’s going to succeed in killing us like we’re nothing. We’ll all be dead and no one will ever know. It will be like we were never even here.’

 

Spock felt like he was choking, or drowning. Jim’s words came in a rush accompanied with a feeling of fear beyond anything Spock had ever felt. This kind of terror was consuming.

 

‘No!’ Jim recoiled, but Spock followed him. ‘That will not happen, Jim.’

 

‘I’m out,’ Jim said, resignation and tiredness replacing the fear, ‘I’ve got nothing left except empty words to comfort starving children.’

 

‘Tell me the full of it,’ Spock encouraged. ‘Tell me and I will help you.’

 

‘I can’t.’

 

‘Then show me. Use your memories and show me. I know something is very wrong here. I have… felt…’ Spock managed, ‘I have felt it since I first arrived. What happened here?’

 

Jim turned his face away briefly, before managing a nod. There was a moment of disorientation before the meld deepened and they moved into one of Jim’s memories. Spock observed him talking to a younger boy, but there was still a hint of reluctance on Jim’s side and their conversation was fuzzy

 

_“If you talk like this in public… … … world of trouble.”_

 

_“But the General says stuff like that all the time.”_

 

_“… … … wasn’t really a General, right?” Jim said.  “And anyway, just because he can get away with that kind of stuff doesn’t mean everyone can.”_

 

_“But he’s right, Jimmy,” he corrected, “We’ve become so… … … know what’s best because he’s the Governor, which is stupid, that we aren’t even really thinking about what he’s saying.  I … … … I want people to think more like people and less like sheep!  I thought you’d approve.”_

 

‘You have nothing to fear from me, James. Relax,’ Spock suggested gently.

 

_“Even if it’s the right thing to do?”_

 

_“Especially if it’s the right thing to do,” Jim said.  “And its total bullshit, but you need to be aware of the consequences.”_

 

The words were clearer, but it was difficult for Spock to watch because he was so distracted by the emotions on Jim’s face as he watched his memory play out.

 

_"If you’re looking for my Grandfather, he isn’t here,” Jim said._

 

_“Doesn’t matter where he is. We’ll find him soon enough.”_

 

_“Stop wasting time.  We have a long list and I don’t want to spend all day doing this,” another sneered._

 

_“Fine. James Kirk.   The revolution is successful. But survival depends on drastic measures. Your continued existence represents a threat to the well-being of society.  Your life means a slow death to the more valued members of the colony.  Therefore, I have no alternative but to sentence you to death. Your execution is so ordered due to the treason and sedition of your family.  You may not appeal this sentence, signed Kodos, Governor of Tarsus IV.  Do you understand your sentence as I have explained it to you?”_

 

_“Fuck off and die,” Jim replied_

 

_“I’ll take that as a yes,” he replied.  “Any last words?”_

 

 

_“Let Kevin go.”_

 

_“He’s on the list.”_

 

_“He’s twelve!” Jim shouted.  “What the hell is wrong with you?!  He’s a kid.  Let him go.”_

 

_“We have our orders.”_

 

_“Just let him go!  Please-”_

 

Spock watched the man in Jim’s memory raise the rifle and as his finger tightened on the trigger, a surge of unmitigated terror that did not originate with Jim rose up in Spock and they were both roughly pushed form the mind meld. They stared at each other, silent as they both gasped for breath.

 

“…what the hell,” Jim whispered.

 

“That was…” Spock trailed off, unable to finish the sentence as he tried to sort of what he’d witnessed in Jim’s memory and make sense of it. “Who is Tiberius Kirk?”

 

Jim straightened, “What?”

 

“The memory…I have heard the name of Tiberius Kirk before. Who is he to you? Your Grandfather? And… when was this? How many people were given such sentences?” Spock asked quickly, more questions occurring to him as he considered the memory.

 

“I…” Jim shook his head slowly. “I don’t know… fuck, I have to go! I should never have… I didn’t mean for you too…” He angrily wiped away the tears streaming down his face. “I don’t even know why the hell I’m crying!”

 

“Jim, wait,” Spock tried.

 

Jim jumped to his feet, nearly falling over in his haste. “No!”

 

“Emotional overload can be a side effect of a mind meld,” Spock said in a rush, reaching for Jim but freezing when he moved out of Spock’s range. “You should-”

 

“No!” Jim shouted again.

 

Spock took a step back and lowered his gaze, “Did I hurt you?”

 

Jim stilled, “I don’t… I- No,” he managed. “I’m not hurt.”

 

“I angered you?”

 

“Yes. No! I don’t… I don’t even know. I don’t know what I’m feel or what the hell happened,” Jim blurted. “I didn’t even know Vulcans could do that.”

 

“It was a surprising experience for me as well,” Spock admitted. “If it is possible… Jim, that you might feel ill will towards me is… it is deeply troubling to me.”

 

“I don’t…” Jim shook his head, “I’m not hurt or mad, but I feel… I feel raw and I think I love you and I don’t even know what that means. I don’t even know what I’m saying. I have to… I have to go.”

 

“If you must.”

 

Jim darted forwards, right directly into Spock’s personal space and kissed his cheek quickly, “Stay close to your father at the party, Spock.”

 

“What? Why?”

Jim kissed him again, even quicker than before but almost as though he couldn’t quite help himself. “Keep your head down and maybe if I’m the luckiest man in the universe… Maybe I’ll see you again when this is all over.”

 

Spock watched Jim until he disappeared among the denser foliage and sighed quietly to himself. The rain lessened a little on the walk and once he returned to the Villa Spock immediately found his mother.

 

She grinned at the sight of him, “You look a mess, sweetheart.”

 

“I am a mess because I exchanged kisses with a human boy and we melded and then I saw… mother, his memories… I saw what happened. I know what the Revolution is.”

 

“Whoa,” Amanda managed. “Kissing? What? Who? Tell me all about him.”

 

“Mother,” Spock repeated, “We melded.”

 

Some of the levity and surprised faded from her face, “Are you sure that was a wise idea?”

 

“No,” Spock admitted. “And I am even less sure of exactly how it occurred. Mother, I was not touching his meld points… We… we fell into a mind meld and I do not know how it happened.”

 

“That is…odd. Did this happen when you were kissing?” She asked, her tone thoughtfully, “Because I once read that pre-Surakian warriors would meld using hand to hand contact so that they might better share mental space instead of inhabiting the mind of only one of the pair.”

 

“I do not… Perhaps that would be better left for later. I know what the Revolution is,” Spock said. “Mother, I must speak with Father. Immediately.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Part Nine**

 

With Taka’s death, the hope that Jim had so desperately clung to slipped through his fingers and he suddenly understood that he wasn’t going to make it off Tarsus IV alive. It was possible that none of them were going to survive. But if it was at all doable, Jim planned to see as many of them alive and safe as possible. Especially Kevin and Katie.

He didn’t sleep that night. Kevin did his best to remain awake, but he too eventually drifted off. Jim waited until it was almost morning before leaving Stronghold Seven. The rain started immediately and Jim found a tree to sit underneath at the edge of the park and without any actual decision to do so, began to cry.

And he couldn’t stop.

He hadn’t cried in years, but the tears came and they continued until he could barely breath from it. They were for Taka, for everyone who had died and wrapped up in the fear that Tiberius would never wake up. He wasn’t Tiberius; he wasn’t brilliant and clever like his Grandfather, but if he couldn’t make this work they were going to die from starvation or the Militiamen.

Barely audible footsteps caught his attention, but before Jim could shrink back against the tree and hide himself, a familiar voice called, “I beg your pardon, are you in need of assistance?”

It was… It was _him_. And there was a part of him that was glad to see Spock, but he was sitting in the rain and covered in the evidence of his grief and he had no idea what to say. But when the spoke, and Spock was attentive and interested, Jim couldn’t seem to make his mouth stop moving until Spock said, “Your words seem sad, Jim.”

They spoke and then they kissed, Spock kissed like he was shy and nervous and Jim was something that might easily be stolen away by the wind. For a few moments at least, he forgot and everything faded into the background as he was so fully distracted by Spock and his mouth and his hands and the expression on his face. Then they fell into the most amazing thing Jim and ever experienced and Spock called it a mind meld. And then he saw… Jim let him see the horror of the Revolution and hated himself for burdening Spock with such a memory.

“I don’t…” Jim shook his head, “I’m not hurt or mad, but I feel… I feel raw and I think I love you and I don’t even know what that means.  I don’t even know what I’m saying. I have to… I have to go.”

He left, ran away almost, and did his best to ignore to ignore the fear that he might never again see Spock.

Hoshi was waiting with Kevin when he returned to Seven. Jim moved directly into her arms and neither of them spoke as they held each other for a long moment. She took a step back and shook her head, “You look a fright, Jimmy.”

“This is probably the cleanest my hair has been in months.”

She handed him a bag, “I gathered up some fresh clothes for you.”

“Thank you, Hoshi. You didn’t-”

“Thank you, Jimmy. I know how… I know how hard you tried to help Tak-” She shook her head, “To help him.” She thoughtlessly wiped away the few tears that slipped down her cheeks and struggled to breath evenly after choking on his name. She was quiet for a moment, her loud breaths ragged, before she affected a sort of forced calm and handed Jim a datapad. “Here’s the copy for Amanda. It contains all the evidence we managed to gather as well as the recorded testimonies of the majority of the survivors.”

“Thank you, Hoshi.”

“You’d better come back alive, James Kirk, because if I have to tell Tiberius that you died when he wakes up… it’ll kill him.”

Jim changed into the clothes Hoshi had procured for him and walked with Kevin to the edge of the city. Kevin ducked down a small alleyway, armed with only a knife.

“I’ll wait for you here. You’d better come back, you bastard. I can’t take care of everyone without you. Fuck, I can’t even take care of Katie without you.”

Jim griped his shoulder tightly, “I should be back in less than an hour.”

Kevin relaxed a little and lifted his gaze up to stare at the sky, “I forgot what blue looked like. I forgot the sky and the clouds, Jimmy. How long as it been? How long as it been since the Revolution?”

“I don’t- I don’t know. I’m not sure,” Jim admitted. “Stay hidden. I’ll be back soon.”

Kevin nodded and Jim left, doing his best to keep out of sight as he walked towards the Governors mansion. He snuck in through an entrance for the kitchen staff that had been left propped open. He risked lingering in a doorway for a moment and catching sight of Ely dragging a slightly alarmed looking Spock around the dance floor made him smile. Which kind of made him want to cry.

He hid himself in an alcove near the ladies bathroom and waited, watching a parade of well dressed and noticeably well-fed women make use of the facilities until he recognized Amanda Grayson from the description Ely had given. He waited a moment before following her and waiting for her by the sink. She startled visibly when she emerged to wash her hands.

“This is the ladies.”

“I know, Dr. Grayson” he replied, “But this is the only place I might be able to talk to you without Kodos overhearing.”

She seemed more curious than alarmed and Jim could see so much of her in Spock that it kind of made him want to hug her. “Who are you?”

“That isn’t important. But I need to tell you about the Revolution. You need to know the truth before you leave Tarsus IV, before Kodos manages to kill the rest of us.”

Her gaze sharpened, “I’m listening.”

Jim handed her the datapad and continued to speak as she took it. “When the fungus came and the drought seemed like it might linger forever, Kodos ordered half the population of the colony killed. Most died, but a few hundred of us survived and we hid in the woods and lived off scraps,” Jim said in a rush. “If you don’t give this information to your husband… we aren’t going to make it. We can’t do this much longer. Most of those who survived are just kids, Dr. Grayson, and they’re…”

“I believe you. This…” She shook her head, looking up from the datapad, “This is from Hoshi Sato.”

Jim nodded, “Yeah. How do you know that?”

Amanda shook her head, “I recognize her linguist quirks in some of the coding. I had no idea she lived here… Oh. Oh. That’s why Archer was interested.”

“Will you come, Dr. Grayson?” Jim asked. “Will you come and see those of us who are left?”

“Yes.”

Jim stumbled, nearly falling over himself in surprise at her instantaneous reply. Yes. Yes, like was there no chance she’d ever say no. Yes, like they meant something. Yes, like she cared.

“Is it possible to be back before my absence is noticed?”

“Ely is going to come to the bathroom in a few minutes and then go and tell your husband that you decided to retire early because you felt tired. We’ll have you back before the party ends and Kodos will never know you were gone.”

“Ely Leighton?” Amanda asked.

Jim nodded, “The Leighton’s are good people. They’ve done what they can to help us.”

She nodded slowly, “Lead the way.”

There was a knock at the door and Jim barely had time to look at Amanda in absolute panic before the door slipped over and a pale faced Ely slipped in.

“Ely?”

“Jimmy, I think… I think I just saw Emma.”

“Emma is dead. She died during the bombing,” Jim replied.

“What bombing?” Amanda asked.

Ely shook her head, “I don’t think so. I saw her, covered in burns and blood, but it was her. I’m sure of it.”

“But why…”

Screams from the ballroom reaching their ears and for a moment no one moved, before they slipped from the bathroom. Jim stopped both Ely and Amanda from entering the ballroom. “Wait,” he said quickly. “Just wait.”

Ely wasn’t wrong and Jim watched as Emma stood in the center of the dance floor, her phaser aimed at a sobbing Lenore. But her attention wasn’t on the Governor’s daughter, but on a vaguely familiar young man. She stood, her face covered in unhealed burns, with one hand wrapped around his throat and screamed in his face.

“You betrayed us for this? For nice clothes and fancy parties!”

“I-” He gasped.

Her hand tightened around his throat, “You told him where we were and they came in the night with bombs and killed everyone!” Emma screamed. “I crawled out of the fire and the smoke and my sole goal before I die is to make sure you die as slowly and in as much pain as I can possibly manage. Think of them as you die. Think of them!”

“She thinks everyone died…” Ely whispered. “We have to stop her.”

“We can’t,” Jim replied. “I don’t- there’s nothing we can do for her.” His eyes moved past Emma and landed first on a man who must be Ambassador Sarek, but soon found Spock. He was clearly panicked, though far calmer than the humans in the room, and seemed to be searching the crowd for someone. Eventually his gaze came to the door and he stilled briefly when he caught sight of his mother, eyes widening in surprise when he saw Jim, and he did his best to move around the edge of the room and join them.

Spock joined them just as the Militiamen began to pour into the ballroom from the main entrance and Jim felt nauseous at the sight of them. The moment he was in reach, Amanda grabbed her son by the wrist and pushed him behind her.

“Mother. Jim.”

Amanda stiffened, “This… This is Jim? Your Jim?”

Spock nodded, “Yes. Perhaps this is a conversation better left for when we have moved to a safer location.”

Ely swallowed thickly, “3,891.”

“What?” Spock asked.

“3,891,” Ely repeated. “Its how many people he ordered executed, murdered, during the Revolution. Many of them were children younger than me. Dr. Grayson, you have to help them.”

“I will, Ely,” Amanda promised. “But Spock is right. We should-”

“You should leave,” Ely said, her eyes glued to the Militiamen as they surrounded an unconcerned Emma. “Go now.”

Jim took a step forward, “Ely, what-”

Ely turned attention to Spock, “Do you remember the park where we bumped into Jimmy?”

“I do, but-”

“Go past it, deep into the woods.”

“What-”

“Go. Go now,” Ely said quickly. She grabbed Spock by the wrist, “Drag him out if you must. If they see him, they’ll kill him. Don’t let him die here.”

“Ely-” Jim began, but she spun out of his grasp and stepped fully into the ballroom.

“HEY!” She shouted.

“Ely!” Jim moved forward and tried to grab her, but Spock’s arms circled around him like steel bands and pulled him back and out of sight.

Everyone stilled and turned towards her.

She took a deep breath, “Tiberius Kirk lives!” She bellowed.

“No. Ely, god fucking damn it, no!”

Jim reached for her again, but Spock was dragging him down the hallway towards the nearest exit.

“The Revolution is a lie.”

“Ely!”

“Free Tarsus,” she bellowed.

Spock swung Jim around in his arms as they reached the door, but Jim twisted to look back at Ely except he couldn’t see her. For a moment he thought she’d vanished, but then he realized she wasn’t gone at all. She was just no longer standing. The last glimpse he got was of her lying in a heap on the ground, unmoving, and then they were outside. He didn’t realize he was still screaming until Spock shook him and then there were moving forward, Amanda beside him, but it was all a blur until they moved beyond the park and into the forest.

Spock slowed as they got deeper into the woods until he finally paused and turned his attention to his mother, “I am unsure which direction we should travel in.”

Amanda nodded and absently wiped a hand against her tear-streaked face, “Jim, can you tell us which way to go?” she asked gently.

Jim didn’t reply, but he shook off Spock’s grip and gestured for them to follow him. He heard them speaking as they walked behind him, but he couldn’t think and didn’t bother trying to understand. Ely…

She’d been with Kevin when he’d first met her, sneaking out to play on the old swing set that was just at the halfway point between the Capital and the town Kevin’s family lived in. She’d been wearing a puffy skirt, ratty tennis shoes, a bright orange shirt and sunglasses that were entirely too large for her face. She’d spun in circles on a tire swing until Jim was sure she’d puke. She’d fallen on her face and laughed hysterically, somehow managing despite her dizziness to get up and introduce herself as Ely Leighton, Mad Inventor and Queen of the Playground. She’d taken off her sunglasses as though they were a top hat and offered a grand bow.

Jim Kirk, he’d replied, Misfit Extraordinaire and Master of Sass.

Suddenly that seemed so long ago, maybe like it had never even happened. Or maybe it had been someone else’s life. And now she was probably-

“Jim?” He startled at Spock’s touch to his arm and was surprised to realize he’d stopped walking.

“I didn’t…” Jim glanced around quickly. “I-”

“Jim,” Amanda said gently, “Are you-”

“I told her not to get involved!” Jim exploded. “I fucking told her to keep her head down!” He turned, fist up and ready to punch the nearest tree until the pain would distract him from the feeling of his heart being squeezed to death. Spock shifted to stand in front of him and carefully caught his fist.

“Please do not harm yourself.”

“Jim,” Amanda said gently, “I need to see Hoshi. And this Tiberius Kirk. That’s the best thing we can do right now.”

“We’re close to Stronghold Seven,” Jim said after a moment, “Tiberius is there, though he’s been in a coma since the bombing. Hoshi should still be there. You can talk to her.” He exhaled slowly, “Come on. We’re close.”

Kevin and Hoshi were waiting for them and Jim froze when he saw Kevin. Because Kevin was smiling. He was grinning like he had before the Revolution and he pulled Jim into a hug. “I knew it! I knew you could do it, you crazy bastard.”

“I-”

Kevin’s grin ebbed a little when Jim was stiff in the embrace, “Are you hurt?”

“No,” he admitted.

“Then what’s wrong? This is Dr. Grayson, right?” He glanced at Amanda briefly.

“Yeah, but… it all went wrong,” he whispered. “Emma was there and she was going to kill the traitor”-

“Emma?” Hoshi demanded, stepping forward. “But she was in Six when it was bombed.”

“She lived,” Jim said. “She lived but she thought everyone else was dead and she went after the traitor and she was there, at the party, and she was-” Jim pressed the heel of his hands against his eyes. “And then Ely…”

Kevin froze, eyes wide and watery at the mention of her name, “Ely what?”

“Ely… Ely, she-”

“Tell me.”

“She started yelling about Tiberius and the Revolution… in front of everyone, in front of _him_.”

Kevin let out a shaky breath and took Jim’s hands, “Is she dead?”

“I don’t know,” Jim admitted. “It’s… I just don’t know.”

Jim stepped to the side, barely able to catch Kevin as his knees gave out.


	10. Chapter 10

**Part Ten**

 

Amanda was quiet for a while after Spock shared the details of Jim’s memory with her. He witnessed her sadness first, and then a sharp anger that soon returned to sadness.

“For all that we’ve learned… for all the places we’ve gone and the amazing things we’ve seen… we’re still making the same mistakes.”

“Mother?”

She met his gaze, “We need to find your father.” She hesitated briefly, “Actually, I think you’d better find him. There is something else I need to do.”

She waited a few minutes after Spock had left before accessing the terminal in the villa, taking a moment to consider the best words to use.   Vulcan was a common enough language that she couldn’t count on using it to hide her meaning and she wasn’t so naïve as to think that the Governor’s people wouldn’t monitor any off planet communication.

“Lady Amanda.” Though she gave no sign of it, Amanda was familiar enough with the Vulcan woman to know that she was surprised by the call.

“Greetings, T’Pol. How are you?”

“I am well,” T’Pol replied, as she offered the ta’al. “And yourself?”

“Fine, thank you.” Amanda intentionally did not return the ta’al and the only sign of surprise T’Pol showed was a slow blink.

“And the Ambassador?”

“Sarek is in excellent health.”

“Spock has made some interesting friends here,” Amanda replied. “It relieves me to see him have positive interactions with other young people.”

“I am glad to hear it,” T’Pol replied.

Amanda managed a smile, “Might I ask a favor of you?”

“Of course, Amanda,” T’Pol replied.

“The next time you happen to speak with your friend Jonathon, might you let him know that we’ve decided we are interested his proposal? We’ve reconsidered his suggestions and it seems there is indeed some merit in his argument and we’d like to work with him in the very near future to remedy the situation.”

T’Pol inclined her head, “I understand. I will rely your message to Jonathan. I am sure he will have a response for you promptly.”

Amanda felt some of the tension drain out of her shoulders, “Thank you, my friend.”

“Of course,” T’Pol replied. “I look forward to speaking to you when you return home.”

“Until then.”

Amanda had barely made it out of the room when Spock reappeared, wearing the closest thing to a frown she had ever seen. “I cannot contact Father. He is to be in meetings with the Governor all day and is not reachable until the celebration begins this evening. I did my best to imply that the need to see my Father was pressing, but they were not swayed and I…” Spock lowered his head, “I could think nothing to that might force them to allow me to see him without seeming suspucious.”

Amanda pulled him into a hug; unable to maintain the usual boundaries he had insisted upon since he was a child, and was surprised when he not only allowed it but also returned the gesture.

“If you remain here, I will attempt to sneak-”

She kissed the top of his forehead, “No, sweetheart.”

“But Jim-”

“Our best advantage is that they think us ignorant,” Amanda explained. “We need to act normally until we have the opportunity to tell your Father the truth.”

“I am worried about Jim,” Spock admitted. “When he left he was scared and it was…. I sometimes…” He lowered his voice, “I am your son and I sometimes feel human emotion.”

“Oh, Spock,” Amanda began, a hint of sadness in her voice because she hated how being bullied as a child had made him uncomfortable with half of his heritage.

“I say this without shame because there is no shame in being your son. You are the most brilliant person I know. Without you, the Universal Translator would still be a haphazard and inexact device. And no matter what vile the others may spew you did this because you are human, not in spite of it, and I…I love and admire you.”

Amanda nodded because her mouth was dry and despite that she could express herself as a native speaker in over a dozen languages, she suddenly had no words with which to reply to her son.

“I sometimes have felt human emotion,” Spock continued. “Happiness. Anger. Love. Hope,” he admitted. “But I have never before felt fear. Yet when Jim and I melded and I saw his hopelessness…his surety that he would die, I felt fear. Terror.”

Amanda nodded slowly.

“Does it always feel like that?” He took her hand, wrapped his fingers around her wrist. “Is what you feel every time you are afraid, mother?”

“Fear comes in degrees, Spock,” she replied after a moment. “Just like all other emotions. And it can be overwhelming, if you don’t control it.”

Spock nodded slowly, “I see. I believe I will require further practice because the fear I feel for Jim’s safety is overwhelming. I can think of little else. Am I emotionally compromised?”

“Fear doesn’t automatically make you irrational,” Amanda continued, “Or illogical, no matter what the others might say. Spock… I will do everything possible to find Jim again and make sure he and whoever else survived this so called Revolution make it out of this hellhole. I promise.”

“Thank you, mother.”

“Is there anything else you want to tell me about him?”

“We engaged in what may be considered inappropriate-”

Amanda ruffled his hair, “You could stand to be a little inappropriate every now and then. I believe you mentioned kissing.”

“ _Mother_.”

Amanda smiled a little at his affronted expression.

“May I…” Spock cleared his throat, “When this is over, may I… I am positive that James is my…”

“What?” Amanda prodded gently.

“The way we fell into the meld… It was not normal.”

“What are you trying to tell me?” Amanda asked. “Whatever it is, you need not-”

“When I saw him I felt shal’han’lak.”

“Love at first sight?” Amanda repeated slowly, her surprise evident in her tone.

Spock fidgeted, “You know that is not the most appropriate translation.”

“Then you mean to imply that your mind is so compatible with Jim’s that from the moment of your meeting, you felt a bond begin to form?”

“Yes,” Spock admitted.

“That only happens amongst those who are Th’-”

“I know. Will you be my ally when I tell Father?”

“Your father is not your enemy, Spock,” Amanda said gently.

“Can I count on you to support me?”

“Always,” Amanda promised. “You don’t even need to ask that, sweetheart. And the same goes for your Father. He loves you. He-” Amanda supposed, surprised by the vehemence with which Spock shook his head.

“No. Father is Vulcan.”

Amanda tilted her head, “Spock?”

He looked at her with sadness in his eyes, “Father is Vulcan. Fully Vulcan. He does not feel love, Mother. Did you…did you not know that?”

Amanda felt her breath catch in her throat, because despite what everyone said it wasn’t true. Vulcans did feel. It never occurred to her that Spock might take such misrepresentation seriously.

“Vulcans feel,” she corrected. “You feel.”

“But as I am constantly reminded by the others,” Spock explained, “I am not fully Vulcan. I am half human and my experience is shaped by that.”

“There is a difference between controlling something and being totally without it. Vulcans feel, Spock. Your father feels, and he loves you just as much as I do.”

“I once,” Spock choked on his words. “I once asked him why he had married you. If he cannot love you, you who are his wife, why should I expect that he loves one who is only his second son? A halfbreed.”

Amanda took a moment to just breath, because while she wasn’t entirely sure what Sarek had said to Spock she knew him well enough to know that it was probably incredibly vague and not particularly sensitive. The urge to roll her eyes, or smack her husband, was strong but she kept her attention on Spock. “What, exactly, did your Father say to you?”

“Father said: as Ambassador to Earth it is my duty to observe and understand human behavior. Marrying your mother was... logical.”

Amanda smiled because she could hear Sarek’s voice as Spock spoke and she gave into the desire to roll her eyes. Honestly, she might love the man but sometimes Sarek’s lack of emotional intelligence was rather trying. “It’s true that your Father found it logical for us to marry, but it didn’t really have anything to do with observing and understanding human behavior.”

“Truly?”

“We married because we were in love,” Amanda said. “It wouldn’t have been worth the struggle for anything less.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am sure, sweetheart,” Amanda explained. “Just as I am sure that he loves you. But sometimes you have to look for it in what he does, instead of what he says. Do you understand?”

“I will consider the information you have shared with me.”

“Good,” Amanda slipped her arm around his shoulders.

The day crawled until it was time for the party and Amanda sent Spock off to meet up with Ely and tried to catch up with Sarek before the celebration began. Spock easily located Ely.

“May I escort you to the party, Ms. Leighton?” Spock offered a short bow.

Ely grinned and curtseyed in response, “Yes, thank you, Mr. Spock.”

They walked arm in arm, joining the large party and easily falling into the crowd of people loitering and chatting around table after table of delicacies. Ely remained at his side, pointing out which dishes were vegetarian before he could ask, and advised him of which dishes were her favorites and persuaded him into trying all manner of human food that he had never before encountered on Vulcan.

“I rather like this,” Spock said. “What are they?”

“Olives,” Ely replied.

“And these?” Spock asked.

“A mini quiche.”

Ely disappeared briefly to dance with her father and Spock caught sight of his parents on the other side of the room. Sarek’s attention was not on Amanda, but as she spoke to him he abruptly turned to her and though his face didn’t change Spock was aware that he was unsettled by whatever she was saying. He looked away from Amanda, his gaze landing on Spock, and made a gesture for him to join them. Two steps into his journey to the other side of the room; Spock was waylaid by Lenore Kodos’ attempt to grab his hand.

“Let’s dance, Spock.”

“I must decline. I need to speak with my parents.”

“Surely they can wait a few minutes,” she smiled brightly.

“They cannot. I must ask you to excuse me.”

Lenore’s face twisted into a frown, “It’s not fair.” She stomped her foot against the ground. “I’m the prettiest girl in the entire colony. My daddy got me this fancy dress just for this ball and you’d rather hang out with Ely, who is such a tomboy and too young to understand someone as intelligent as you!”

“Lenore,” the Governor appeared at her elbow, his expression tight with faint displeasure. “What is the meaning of your outburst?”

“Spock won’t dance with me,” Lenore exclaimed.

“I-” Spock hesitated when the Governor faced him.

“Is there some reason you cannot honor my daughter with a dance, young man?” he demanded.

“I-”

“Spock.”

Spock straightened and turned to face Sarek, “Yes, Father?”

“I beg your pardon,” Sarek said to the Governor, “But I require my son for a moment.” Without walking for a reply, Sarek placed a hand on Spock’s shoulder and guided him away from the Governor and Lenore, speaking only once they were well out of earshot. “That looked uncomfortable.”

“It felt uncomfortable,” Spock confirmed. “Where is Mother?”

“In the restroom.”

“Did Mother tell you…?”

Sarek nodded, “Indeed. Your Mother has updated me about your encounter with the human boy this morning and the details you learned during your…meld.”

Spock avoided his Father’s gaze, “What are you going to do?”

“This will have to be handled delicately, but if it is possible to-” Sarek cut off abruptly, but before Spock could ask what was wrong he felt the hand resting on his shoulder tightly on his shirt. Sarek pivoted, swinging Spock as if he weighted nothing; he easily positioned himself in front of his son. Spock was still for a moment, shocked, but he shifted his weight just enough that he could see a woman standing in the center of the ballroom and holding a phaser aimed at Lenore Kodos with her hand wrapped around the throat of a young man.

“Any last words, traitor?”

Sarek took a step back, forcing Spock to move back as well. “Your mother is in distress.”

Spock peered around his father, “I do not see her.”

“Nor do I, but I can feel her alarm. You are smaller than I… do you think you can sneak out of this room without being seen?”

“Yes.”

“Then find her,” Sarek requested, “And ensure that she is safe.”

Spock touched his arm briefly, “I will not let anything happen to her.”

“When you find her, leave this place. Return to the Villa, barricade yourselves inside and send word to Admiral Archer and the Federation Council about what has happened here.”

“What about you?”

“It would be poor strategy to harm me and I must see how this plays out,” Sarek replied. “Now go, your mother needs you.”

Not long after he moved away from his Father, Spock caught sight of his mother and half a step behind her stood Jim. It took him a few moments to move around the edge of the room, but the moment he was close enough he felt his mother grab hold of his arm and pull him behind her.

“Mother. Jim.”

“This…This is Jim? Your Jim?”

Spock nodded, “Yes.  Perhaps this is a conversation better let for when we have moved to a safer location.”

Ely swallowed thickly, “3,891.”

And then he lost track of what was happening, but suddenly Ely was moving forward into the ballroom and screaming. When Jim tried to follow her, Spock took hold of him and physically pulled him away. He heard her scream “Free Tarsus,” as they approached the door, but when he looked back she was on the floor and Jim was approaching hysteria. They kept quite until they reached the woods and Spock prodded Jim to guide them, hanging back with his mother when they began to walk again.

“So this is Jim,” Amanda said, quiet and subdued.

Spock nodded, “Yes.” He swallowed thickly, “Do you think Ely Leighton is dead?”

“I don’t know,” Amanda admitted, “But I hope not.”

Spock felt wetness on his face and knew what it was from when he had seen his mother cry during his youth and from Jim the previous day. Though he had always known he had the capacity to cry, it was not something that had ever naturally occurred and Spock had never felt the desire to force it.

“Ely Leighton is my friend,” he replied quietly. “I do not want anything bad to happen to her. Or… or to Father.”

“Your Father can more than take care of myself,” Amanda assured him. “He’ll be fine.”

Jim slowed again and stopped before seeming to explode. “I told her not to get involved! I fucking told her to keep her head down!” 

Spock watched as he turned, fist up and ready to punch the nearest tree and was barely able to move fast enough to catch him before he could injure himself.“Please do not harm yourself.”

“Jim,” Amanda said gently, “I need to see Hoshi.  And this Tiberius Kirk.  That’s the best thing we can do right now.”

“We’re close to Stronghold Seven,” Jim said after a moment, “Tiberius is there, though he’s been in a coma since the bombing.  Hoshi should still be there.  You can talk to her.”  He exhaled slowly, “Come on.  We’re close.”

They descended into a tunnel and walked until they came across an older woman and a young boy waiting for them. Spock kept back, close to his mother, and watched as Jim did his best to explain what happened at the mansion. The younger boy collapsed, overwhelmed, and when Jim caught him he clung to him in a tight embrace and sobbed. The sound was disturbing and Spock looked away, but was equally discomforted by the sight of watching his mother brush away tears from her cheeks.

“Stay with Jim,” she whispered. “I’m going to go with Hoshi.”

Spock followed Jim quietly as he half carried the younger boy to a small room and settled him on a cot. Spock waited in the doorway as Jim stroked his hair and remained with him until he was ought of tears and feel into an exhausted slumber. Jim stood and turned to face Spock, offering his hand.

Jim wrapped his fingers around Spock’s wrist when Spock offered his hand in return and escorted him to another room. They passed several children, all of whom stared at him in silence, before slipping into another room. Jim closed the door behind them and dragged two chairs over to the side of a bed.

“This is Tiberius Kirk,” Jim said quietly, “My grandfather. He was in Stronghold Six when it was bombed and he’s been in a coma ever since. We’ve done the best we could since then, but he was our leader and we’ve been floundering without him and… I miss him.” Jim cleared his throat. “They say its good to talk to people in comas so… Tiberius, this is Spock. He’s my friend. He’s special. He’s Amanda Grayon’s son. Remember her? She’s Hoshi’s friend who is married to the Vulcan Ambassador. She’s here. I found her and I got her to come here and maybe… I think maybe we might be okay.”

He’s Amanda Grayson’s son. Spock had never before heard anyone refer to him as such, but found that he rather liked it.

Jim offered him a lukewarm smile; “I try to spend a little time each day talking to him. Will you stay with me? He’s probably getting sick of my voice so maybe… maybe you could stay and talk to him too?”

Spock nodded, copying Jim and taking one of the seats. Jim curled up in his chair and twisted to rest his head against Spock’s shoulders as he talked. Eventually his words slowed and stopped and once Spock confirmed that Jim had actually fallen asleep he began to speak to Tiberius.

“Greetings, Tiberius Kirk. It is an honor to meet you. I am Xtmprszntwlfd S’chn T’gai Spock. I am a friend of your grandson’s. Jim believes that speaking to you is beneficial, and since he has fallen asleep I will continue in his stead. I hope that is acceptable.” Spock paused briefly, unsure what he should talk about. “I hope you have an interest in pre-Surakian poetry.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Part Eleven**

 

Kevin dreamt first of the future, that he and Ely were together on earth exactly like they had always planned, but then she was gone and he dreamt of the past. He sat beside her on the swing and instead of replying to his suggestion that they move to Earth together when they were older with laughter and agreement, she replied by pushing him down in the mud and stood over him as she read her own eulogy.

He woke Katie with his thrashing and she watched him with wide, frightened eyes for a moment before slipping from the room to try and find Jim.

Jim woke much in the same position that had fallen asleep, curled up against Spock, and listened to him was he quietly spoke in Vulcan. It took him a moment to realize the melodic recitations were poetry. Spock quieted when Jim moved, turned his attention away from Tiberius.

“I didn’t mean to sleep,” Jim admitted.

“It seems that you needed it.”

“Hmm,” Jim agreed. “How long has it been?”

“One hour and fifty seven minutes.”

A surprised laugh escaped Jim, “You couldn’t just say two hours?”

“There is no reason to be imprecise,” Spock replied dryly.

Jim’s smile lingered around his mouth for a while and Spock felt himself returning the expression. Jim shifted forward and resting his mouth against Spock’s for a brief moment. Cupping his face, Spock caught Jim’s lower lip between his briefly before pulling back to study Jim carefully.

“I dare not…”

Jim tilted his head, but waited for Spock to continue.

“There are things we need to discuss first, James,” Spock admitted quietly, “I have an idea about how we were able to meld like that and you need to be fully informed.”

Jim nodded slowly, pressing a final kiss to Spock’s mouth, “Okay. After.”

After. Spock kept his face blank, but the word strongly affected him. Jim now believed there would be an after.

Jim stood and moved to press a kiss to his grandfather’s forehead before gesturing for Spock to follow him out of the room. They hadn’t gone far when a teenage boy stopped them and handled an unhappy toddler to Jim.

“Found her wandering about, Jimmy.”

“Where’s Kevin?”

The teenager shrugged and continued on his way. Jim frowned a little and shifted Katie in his arms so he could see her face. “You okay?”

Eyes glued to Spock, Katie didn’t reply.

“Katie, this is my friend Spock. Spock, this is Katie Riley. She’s Kevin’s sister.”

“Greetings, Katie Riley.”

Jim grinned a little when Katie hid her face in his neck. He jostled her slightly, “Come on, you can say hi.”

“Hi Spotty,” she mumbled quietly.

Jim snorted, “What are you doing wandering about, Katie? Where’s Kevin?”

“Crying.”

Jim stilled for a moment, before flagging down a passing girl, “Hey, Mikayla, can Katie stay with you for a while?”

“No!” Katie shouted, her fists tightening in Jim’s clothes.

Mikayla managed to take the squirming child from Jim, “I have some of those red cherries you like so much, honey. How about we go have some and play for a little while?”

“Cherries?” Katie perked up.

“Thanks,” Jim said quietly. “Kevin or I will come for her in a couple of hours.”

Mikayla waved him off and continued down the corridor. Once she was gone Jim ran a hand through his hair tiredly. “I need to go check on Kevin.”

“May I join you?”

Jim nodded, “Yeah, thanks.”

Kevin was already awake by the time they got here. Jim dropped to his knees beside the cot and took his hand. “You okay?”

Kevin blinked and his eyes focused on Jim before moving beyond him to Spock. “Who is he?”

“His name is Spock,” Jim said. “I-”

“You think I don’t know you well enough to know how you’re going to end that sentence?” Kevin asked. He sat up without releasing Jim’s hand and keeping his attention on Spock. “You hurt him and I will end you.”

“I am not entirely sure that I follow your meaning, Kevin Riley, but I will never do anything to harm Jim. I give you my word.”

“Hm,” Kevin stood slowly.

Jim wrapped an arm around his shoulders, “Come on. By now Hoshi has probably finished showing Dr. Grayson everything. It’s time to make our next move.”

“What is what, exactly?” Kevin asked as they moved back in the hallway.

“I’m not sure yet,” Jim offered a smile that was all teeth and Spock could find no happiness in it, “But it’s going to leave Kodos hurting. We finally have the utter hand and its time to punch back.”

“Let’s punch hard,” Kevin replied. “I want to hurt him like he hurt us.”

Spock followed as they moved through the tunnels, stopping in what appeared to be a meeting room and joining Amanda and Hoshi. Amanda touched Spock on the shoulder briefly when he sat beside her and took a moment to study Jim before turning her attention back to Hoshi.

“She’s seen everything,” Hoshi tiredly informed Jim.

“What now?” Kevin asked.

“There is no possible way for him to cover this up. If anything happens to Sarek it will only draw more attention. He can’t stop this from coming out,” Amanda said gently. “He’s finished. At this point, it doesn’t even matter if he tries to delay Sarek from reporting the truth. I contacted T’Pol before the ball. She’ll have informed Archer by now.”

Hoshi straightened, “What?”

Amanda met her gaze, “Apparently this inquiry began because Admiral Archer was worried about you.”

Hoshi took a shaky breath, “I don’t….” She met Amanda’s gaze, “Will you tell him thank you for me?”

Amanda smiled gently, “You’ll tell him yourself soon enough, Hoshi.”

Jim frowned because there was something in Hoshi’s tone, but Kevin was leaning forward and speaking again, “What do we do next?”

Hoshi straightened, “Parlay. I’m going to go to the surface and make contact.”

“I’m going with you.”

Kevin nodded as Jim spoke, “Yeah, me too.”

Jim took Kevin’s hands, “You need to stay here.”

“Jimmy,” Kevin objected, his eyes bright with anger, “How can you even say that? I have to go.”

“I promise that I’ll find out about Ely,” Jim said, “But what if something goes wrong?”

“You think I give a shit if I die?” Kevin spat.

Jim exhaled sharply, “I think you’re scared. But you need to think about Katie.”

“I’m no good to her.”

Jim shook his sharply, “That’s bullshit. Kevin, Katie needs you. You need to stay here incase this all goes sideways.”

Kevin hung his head, the fight going out of him at Jim’s words, “Yeah.”

“When will we go?” Jim asked Hoshi, because he could feel Spock’s stare at couldn’t bear to look at him.

“Now,” Hoshi said.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Amanda asked gently.

“He isn’t a child, Amanda,” Hoshi said. “He’s been the leader of Stronghold Seven since the bombing.”

“But he’s so young,” Amanda met Jim’s gaze, “You’re so young and it doesn’t seem safe. I’ll go with Hoshi.”

“No,” Jim said quickly. “We can’t risk anything happening to you, Dr. Grayson.” He turned to Kevin; “You’re in charge while I’m gone. Keeping Dr. Grayson and Spock safe is your number one priority. If something does wrong, send them down the south tunnel. The people in the villages there are friendly to us.” He turned his attention back to Amanda.

“Surely there is someone older…”

Jim shook his head; “I’m the oldest person in Seven.”

Amanda deflated a little, “Be careful, please. And if you see Sarek tell him Spock and I are well.”

Jim nodded, “I will.”

Jim left with Hoshi and allowed himself the indulgence of walking a little closer to Spock was necessary. They passed the guard and moved into tunnel and Jim allowed Spock to continue with them for a few moments.

“It’s time for you to turn back.”

“I would prefer to remain with you. I find myself…anxious.”

Jim pulled him, moving away before Spock had a chance to return the gesture, “I’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon,” Spock echoed, watching them until they disappeared town the tunnel.

Hoshi was quiet for most of the walk, growing tenser with each step they took towards the Capital. They were almost out of the forest when a gust of wind startled both of them and they looked up to the sky.

“Holy fuck,” Jim whispered. “Hoshi, that’s a ship. That’s a Federation ship! They… they came. They finally came!” Jim threw himself at Hoshi, lifting her off her feet in a hug and kissing both of her cheeks. “They came.”

Hoshi’s smile was a little less exuberant, but she returned the embrace.

At the edge of the capital they found Militiamen and for the first time, Jim walked up to them without fear. “My name is James Tiberius Kirk and I come to parlay.”

They sneered at his name, but they took them to the Governor’s mansion. They were escorted through the Mansion and brought to a room that contained the Governor, Ambassador Sarek and a Federation Captain who introduced himself as Komack.

“Alright,” Captain Komack began speaking before Jim and Hoshi had actually settled, “Let’s get this handled as soon as possible because we’ve got more important things to do than settle an agricultural dispute. The Governor is willing to hear your list of grievances and in return you’ll release the hostages you’ve taken.”

Jim stared at the Captain in open mouth surprised, but Ambassador Sarek spoke before he could think of a reply, “I have not yet been afforded the opportunity to brief Captain Komack on the situation.”

“Hmm,” Jim said, “Hoshi, do you have…?”

Hoshi nodded and removed a datapad from her jacket pocket and pushed it across the table towards Captain Komack. Jim kept his attention on Ambassador Sarek. “Your wife and your son are fine, sir.”

“I appreciate the confirmation,” Sarek replied. “You may be relieved to know that Ms. Leighton is alive, though her condition is serious. She was shot in the stomach with a phaser rifle.”

Jim managed a nod, “Thank you, Ambassador.”

Captain Komack looked up from the datapad, “Is this some kind of joke?”

“I assure you that it is not,” Hoshi spat. “After the fungus destroyed the majority of our crops and the drought came, Governor Kodos ordered the execution of half the colony so that the rest might survive in the manner to which they are accustomed. While they continued eating their cakes and fancy treats, hundreds of us have been hiding out in the woods half starved and freezing.”

“That is quite the liberal interpretation of the facts, Ms. Sato,” Kodos spat. “Tiberius Kirk lead a rebellion against the lawful government of this Colony when he didn’t agree with agricultural policy decisions.”

“The murder of thousands of people counts as a policy decision?” Jim demanded. “I’m sixteen years old and you sent your thugs to murder me in my backyard because my continued existence represented a so called threat to the well-being of society. You said that my life meant a slow death to the more valued members of the colony. How the fuck do you decide that?”

“I had to do what was necessary to protect the Colony!” Kodos roared.

“You sentenced me to death because my Grandfather spoke out against you after you destroyed our crops and you couldn’t go to the Federation for aid without revealing how badly you’d fucked everything up!”

No one spoke for a moment. Sarek’s sharp eyes were glued to Jim and he spoke hesitantly, “Are you acquainted with my son, young man?”

“My name is James Tiberius Kirk,” Jim replied, “And that’s probably a conversation you should have with him, sir.”

“James Tiberius Kirk. How are you related to Tiberius Kirk?” Captain Komack demanded.

“He’s my Grandfather,” Jim admitted.

“You’re George Kirk’s kid,” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“The youngest?”

Jim exhaled sharply, but nodded, “If you’re asking if I was born during the Kelvin then the answer is yes.”

The Captain opened his mouth briefly before shaking his head and turning his attention to Hoshi, his eyes narrowed, “Are you Hoshi Sato?”

Hoshi nodded, “I am.”

“The same Hoshi Sato who served on the Enterprise under Admiral Archer?”

She nodded again and it was around then that the color began to drain from the Governor’s face. Captain Komack turned to face Ambassador Sarek, most of the impatience in his expression replaced by horror. “Ambassador, what is your take on the situation?”

“Captain,” the Governor leaned forward.

Komack raised a hand, “You really need to think very carefully before you speak, Governor. Ambassador?”

“There is no doubt in my mind that the Governor ordered the execution of thousands of the citizens of this Colony rather than admit that the fertilizer he ordered sprayed over their crops had destroyed them.”

Captain Komack exhaled slowly, “Fuck.” There was a moment where it was obvious from his expression that he literally had no idea what to do, but he rallied and lifted his communicator. “Komack to the Endeavor.”

“Endeavor.”

“Have the entire medical team prepared to beam down in fifteen minutes. Send an emergency distress signal to the Federation and open an emergency priority channel to Starfleet. Try to get Admiral Archer if it’s possible. Notify me when you’ve got Starfleet and route the connection down to the planet.”

“Yes, sir. Endeavor out.”

“Captain,” The Governor tried again.

“Shut up,” Komack spat. “Ensign,” he waved to one of his men stationed at the door, “If the Governor so much as looks at you funny, stun him.”

The ensign turned to face the Governor, “Yes, Captain.”

“How DARE you?”

Komack ignored him and turned back to Jim and Hoshi, “Where are the survivors?”

“Hiding,” Hoshi said simply.

“And will they come out if you call them?”

“Yes,” Jim said. “They’ll come if we tell them its safe.”

Hoshi stood, “I’m going to get everyone.”

“I’ll come too.”

Ambassador Sarek stood as well, “You are welcome to remain with me, James Kirk.”

Hoshi nodded in agreement before Jim could reply, “Stay here, okay? In case Captain Komack has any questions.”

“Okay,” Jim agreed after a moment, “Will you tell Kevin about Ely?”

“I will,” she promised. She paused and pressed a kiss to Jim’s head. “You did good kid.”

Jim smiled at her, “We made it.”

She smiled again before leaving the room with half of Admiral Komack’s men following her.

“Tell me what happened?” Komack asked, his tone gentler than it had been earlier.

“I don’t know much about the fungus,” Jim admitted, “You’ll have to talk to my Grandfather or Thomas Leighton about that.”

Komack startled, “Your Grandfather is here?”

Kodos sneered, “Tiberius Kirk is dead.”

“Fuck you, he’s alive,” Jim turned his attention to Kodos briefly before looking back to Komack, “He’s alive. Anyway, the fungus killed most of the crops and then there was a drought. We weren’t going to have enough food to make it through the winter.” Jim stopped abruptly and turned his attention back to Kodos, “Where’s Emma?”

Kodos didn’t reply, but Sarek did. “I regret to inform you that the woman called Emma died yesterday night.”

Jim looked at Kodos again, “You killed her.”

“She succumbed to preexisting wounds,” Kodos replied.

“Wounds she got from when you bombed Stronghold Six! You thought you were getting all of us, but we weren’t all there. There are hundreds of us left, Governor, and all of us ready to testify against you.”

Komack cleared his throat, “What happened next?”

Jim ran his hands through his hair, “Tiberius spoke out against the Governor and there was a rumor that he would be arrested, so I wasn’t entirely surprised when the Militiamen came to the house. But… they didn’t leave when he wasn’t there. They read the execution order and one of them was going to shoot me, but my friend Kevin Riley pushed me out of the way. And then Tiberius was there and he… he saved us.”

“Tiberius Kirk slaughtered those men,” Kodos roared, “Good, law abiding men with families!”

“Good, law abiding men who slaughter children?” Sarek asked.

“Why can you not understand?” Kodos kept his gaze focused on Sarek, “I had no choice. There was no food! Better that some die than everyone suffer.”

“I seem to recall attending a very lavish party yesterday,” Sarek replied calmly. “There did not seem to be a lack of food.”

Komack opened his mouth to ask another question, but his gaze lingered briefly on Jim’s pale face and shaking hands and he checked himself. “Ambassador, perhaps you’d like to take Mr. Kirk to get some fresh air? The Governor and I have something’s to discuss.”

“Indeed.” Ambassador Sarek rose and Jim followed him thoughtlessly from the room. “Are you hungry, James Kirk?”

Jim shook his head. He was always hungry, so it didn’t seem important, and the thought of eating anything after facing the Governor was unappealing. “No, sir.”

The Ambassador was quiet for a moment, “You may call me Sarek. May I escort you to see Ely Leighton?”

“Yes,” Jim said in a rush. “Yes, please.”

Ely Leighton was resting in a guest bedroom of the Villa guarded by her mother. Martha offered a watery smile when they appeared and stepped aside to let them enter. Thomas looked up from his slumped position at her side and nodded when he saw Jim. He touched Ely’s shoulder, smiling when she turned her head and opened her eyes.

“Hmm?”

“Jimmy is here, baby. I’ll give you a few minutes to talk, okay?”

“K…” Ely nodded sleepily. “Hey you.”

“Oh my god, Ely,” Jim dropped into the chair Thomas had vacated, crying as he kissed her face.

She patted his face weakly, “Stop crying on me.”

“No,” Jim replied. “I can’t hug you or shake you, so I’m just going to cry all over you.”

She smiled a little at that, though it was an obvious struggle to keep her eyes open. “Did you tell Kevin?”

“Yeah.”

“He upset?”

“Terrified,” Jim replied.

“Still don’t regret it,” she admitted.

Jim kissed her cheek again, “Go back to sleep. Kevin’s on his way.”

“Have him wake me when he gets here,” she whispered. “Haven’t seen him in sooo fucking long.”

“Ely!”

Ely chuckled at his outrage, “What? You and Kevin swear all the time. Girls can swear too.”

“Yeah, well I’m obviously a ruffian and a bad influence on poor Kevin.”

“No,” she murmured, her eyes slipped closed. “You’re the best, Jimmy. The absolute best. You kept everyone alive. Saved Kevin.”

“No,” Jim whispered, “Kevin saved me.”

Jim returned to the Mansion with Ambassador Sarek, ready for when the survivors would come. He saw Komack briefly, but kept by Sarek as the Captain seemed to be busy ordering around medical personal and making sure there was food and water for everyone.

Kevin was the first to appear, Katie at his hip, with everyone from Stronghold Seven a few steps behind him. Most of them were shaking, terrified and wary of brightness of the sun. Jim kept out of the way as the medical personnel began to sort through them, separating out the ill and injured and during their best to make sure everyone had a cup of water and a small snack.

“Hoshi told me about Ely.”

Jim grinned at Kevin and took Katie from him, “Let me get someone to look her over. You go see Ely.”

Kevin kissed Katie quickly and promised to be back soon. Jim watched everyone, remaining at the entrance to the manner until he caught sight of Kiang and Niall as they approached, bearing Tiberius on a stretcher. Just behind them he caught sight of Amanda and Spock and heard Sarek let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Jim turned to follow Kiang and Niall, anxious to hear about his Grandfather, when he felt a hand curl around his elbow. Off balanced and surprised, Jim felt himself being pulled around and was unprepared for the phaser that struck him across the face.  He hit the ground, palms stinging against the pavement, amidst screaming.

“LIAR! Tell the truth! Tell them the truth about my Father! He didn’t do anything wrong,” A hysterical Lenore Kodos screamed.

Jim pushed himself up to his knees in time to hear Ambassador Sarek speak, “Ms. Kodos, you must put down the weapon. Now.”

Lenore Kodos. He looked at her in her perfectly lovely dress with her perfect hair and makeup and recalling what Ely had said about her prancing about like a little Princess, he spat at her. “Fuck you!” He climbed to his feet and pushed the phaser she held out of his face. “I hope your father rots in jail for the rest of his fucking miserable, pathetic existence and I hope whenever he tries to sleep he’s haunted by the faces of all the innocent people he murdered and when he finally does the Universe a favor and drops dead, I hope he rots in hell for the rest of time.”

“You-”

“What?” Jim bellowed, “What the hell could you possible have to say to any of us?”

“I just want you to tell them the truth,” she sobbed, her make up mixing with tears and streaming down her face. “He did what he had to do! He isn’t the horrible man you’re making him out to be. He had to do what was best for the Colony.”

Jim slapped her hand again when she tried to raise the phaser, “Were you ever hungry?”

“What?”

“Did you spend one fucking day since the crops failed hungry!?”

“I-”

Jim snorted, “That’s what I thought. Now put down the weapon before someone fucking shoots you,” he commanded, gesturing vaguely at the armed Starfleet officers behind him. “I’ve had enough of death.”

“Admit you lied,” she demanded.

“No.”

“Admit it!” She raised the phaser. “Tell the truth. You invented this entire story because you’re jealous of us.”

“For fucks sake,” Jim murmured.

“Listen to me!”

“No,” Jim replied. “I’m done listening to people called Kodos spit out hot air. I’m done with you. We’re all done with you. Your time here is over. And when this is finished and your father is in jail and you’re wherever the hell they send the children of psychopaths…I swear to god I will never think of you again. We are done with you people.”

“Tell the truth,” she said again, steel in her tone. “Take back those lies you made up about my father.”

Jim leaned forward and looked her square in the eye, “No.”

“I can’t let you take these lies back to the Federation.”

“You can’t stop me.”

“I can,” she said. “I can!”

“Lenore,” Jim said, weariness gentling his tone and dimming some of his anger. “Let it go. It’s over. Don’t make it any worse than it has to be.”

Jim watched as her finger squeezed on the trigger and simultaneously felt Ambassador Sarek’s fingers take hold of his sleeve. But he was too slow and Jim knew it. He saw the phaser discharge and blinked.

And blinked again.

He had a single moment to realize he was unharmed amidst the screaming before Ambassador Sarek bodily lifted him and pulled him away as the officers behind him rushed Lenore and disarmed her. She continued to scream about the truth, but Jim barely saw as Sarek dragged him another step back. He didn’t understand what had happened until he looked down and saw the blood creeping towards his feet.

“HOSHI! NO.”

Jim thrashed in Sarek’s grip until the man lost it and he threw himself towards Hoshi, but Amanda had shoved her way through the crowd and was already there. She knelt beside Hoshi, her clothes already soaked in blood, and carefully closed Hoshi’s wide, unseeing eyes.

“HOSHI!”


	12. Chapter 12

He wanted to go her, but there was a roaring in his ears.

And someone was screaming his name.

Jim struggled against the hands pulling him away from Hoshi and looked up to the sky. There was a thick cloud of smoke rising up towards the sky. “What’s on fire?” Jim asked.

“What?” Amanda asked in surprise, before following his gaze and frowning at the plume of smoke.

“Something is on fire…”

“JIMMY!”

Jim looked away from the smoke and forgot how to breathe as he saw a bloody Kevin half dragging an unconscious Ely towards them. He took a single step towards them before falling again. By the time Jim got back to his feet the medical personnel had taken Ely away, but Kevin was resisting their attempts to help him and with a crazed shout he launched himself at a restrained Lenore Kodos.

“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!”

“Kevin!” Jim crashed against him from the side and pulled his hands from Lenore’s throat. “Where are Thomas and Martha?” Jim managed.

“Thomas is dead,” Kevin choked, “She… she fucking killed him to get to Ely. I don’t…I don’t know about Martha.”

“Is that Ely’s blood?”

Kevin stared at him with wide eyes, “You think I’d let anyone hurt her?”

Jim was still for a moment, barely noticing the Starfleet Officers moving past him towards the fire, before he ripped Kevin’s shirt off with his bare hands. Kevin followed Jim’s gaze and seemed surprised at the wound on his side. He pressed his hand against it, wincing a little in pain, and pitched forwards towards Jim.

“Kevin…”

The medical personnel took Kevin away and Jim just stood there. Amanda and Spock appeared at his side, Sarek just a few feet behind him, and guided him into the Mansion. He listened as Doctors worked on Kevin and thought he might die himself during the minutes it took them to get his heart restarted when it failed during surgery. It was only after they declared him stable that Jim fled; vomiting the moment he made it out the side door of the Mansion.

“James?”

Jim looked up in surprise, but accepted the cup of water from Spock and allowed the Vulcan to move him away from where he’d been sick. Spock nodded for him to drink, speaking only when the cup was empty.

“Did he… Did anything happen?”

“Kevin is stable,” Spock said. “He made it through the worst of it and they say he’ll live.”

“What about Ely? I should have checked on her. And Katie. And… And…”

“Will you sit with me out here for a few minutes?” Spock asked.

Jim let his gaze roam over Spock quickly, “Were you hurt? Are you okay?”

“I am unharmed. They say Ely will recover. Katie is fine. They have said nothing concrete about Tiberius, but my mother….she snooped?” Spock frowned briefly, “She snooped around and overheard some of the Doctors and they’re hopeful.”

“We should go back.”

“I would be extremely grateful for a few moments of your time, James. My mother has promised to come for us immediately if the situation changes.”

Jim nodded slowly, “Okay. We can stay here for a bit.”

Spock leaned forward, hesitated briefly, and then wrapped his arms in a circle around Jim’s shoulders without actually touching him. Jim was still for a moment, slightly confused, before he pressed himself fully against Spock and hugged him. Spock mimicked him, hugging him perhaps a tad too tightly but Jim didn’t care.

“Keep your mind away from mine,” Jim whispered against his neck, “It isn’t a nice place to be right now.”

“James, I-”

Jim kissed him and did his best to wrap himself around Spock like a vine. Spock briefly staggered backwards, but he easily bore the majority of Jim’s weight and returned the kiss. He guarded his mind fiercely, moved by Jim’s words, and no matter how tempting it might be to relax; he did not allow himself to risk a meld.

“When she pointed the phaser at you and I thought you would die, all the moments I have had with you flashed before my eyes and they were far too few,” Spock whispered.

“We’ll make more,” Jim promised. He was quiet for a moment, comfortable in Spock’s arms, “I met your father. He seems like an okay guy.”

Spock stiffened a little, “I have never had the benefit of an easy relationship with my father.”

Jim met his gaze, “Why? It seems like he loves you a lot.”

Spock’s grip tightened briefly, though he loosened his arms at Jim’s faint wince, “I apologize.”

“It’s fine. Why did that upset you?”

Spock didn’t exactly answer the question, “Why do you think he loves me?”

Jim frowned a little, but answered the question, “Because he’s done his best to keep me with him since the moment he saw me. I think he was looking out for me because he knows about us.”

“It is possible my Mother told him. Does that bother you?”

“Of course not,” Jim said gently. “But it seems like it bothers you. Will you tell me why?”

“I did not think he would approve.”

“Really? Wouldn’t that be a bit hypocritical?”

“My Father has maintained that he married my Mother because it was logical to cultivate such a relationship to better understand human culture.”

Jim snorted, “Come on. If he just wanted to learn about human culture he could have hung out with some humans. We’re not a particularly insular bunch. He didn’t need to marry one.”

“I do not follow.”

“I saw his face when you and your Mother were walking back towards the Mansion. He loves her like hell on fire.”

“Like what?” Spock demanded.

Jim grinned a little, “He loves her, Spock. By all accounts your Mother is a brilliant, accomplished and incredibly beautiful woman. And I highly doubt that Sarek was the only man interested in-”

“ _James._ ”

Jim laughed openly, “I’m just saying, why would she settle for the Ambassador if he didn’t love her? I doubt it was easy for either them and why would they put themselves through it if not for love?”

“Because he is Ambassador to Earth and-”

“And nothing,” Jim corrected gently. “He wanted to marry her and he made up that excuse because he’s too socially awkward to express his feelings like love and desire in the public sphere.”

“Socially awkward?”

“Okay, well…too Vulcan,” Jim amended.

“Are you saying Vulcans are socially awkward?” Spock inquired.

“Would you prefer the term reserved?” Jim countered. He paused briefly, his eyes widening in delight, “Did you… did you just roll your eyes at me?”

“It is possible that I employed that gesture to express my mild disdain at your assessment. Vulcans are not socially awkward, they are disciplined and controlled.”

Jim laughed again, “Or uptight.” He laughed again at Spock’s affronted expression. “Alright. Disciplined, if you prefer.”

“Actually, I think you’re really on to something with the socially awkward theory, Jim.”

Jim had a moment to enjoy the expression of true horror on Spock’s face before they turned to face Amanda where she lingered by the door to the Mansion. Her eyes were bright and amused and Jim was equally entertained until he caught sight of a pained looking Ambassador Sarek standing a step behind her.

“Mother,” Spock greeted. “Father.”

“Dr. Grayson,” Jim managed, his smile turning a little chagrined, “Ambassador.”

“I believe I already explained that you are welcome to call me Sarek,” he said a tad stiffly.

Something like a very under exaggerated version of shock spread across Spock’s features and Amanda intertwined her arm with her husbands, her expression one of unrepentant amusement.

“Sarek,” Jim repeated. “Er…I apologize if anything I said offended you.”

Sarek raised an eyebrow, “It was an interesting and not entirely incorrect assessment, James.”

Jim elbowed Spock, “See? Told you.”

“I-” uncertain, Spock looked between James and his Father with such earnest confusion. Jim wrapped an arm around his shoulder, ignoring Sarek’s horror, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Spock felt his cheeks warm, but still leaned into the embrace. “Does this mean we have your approval, Father?”

“Would it matter if I said no?”

Spock exhaled slowly, “Yes, it would matter. However it would not change my decision.”

“Perhaps that is as it should be,” Sarek admitted slowly. “However the point is moot. I do not disapprove, Spock. I look forward to the opportunity to become better acquainted with your chosen.”

“All is not settled between us,” Spock admitted.

“But it will be,” Jim said. “Soon.” He turned his attention back to Amanda and Sarek, “Did you come out here because… because something happened?”

“No, Jim,” Amanda said gently. “But only because your input is needed on some decisions and there are some people who want to talk to you.”

Jim briefly separated from Spock and his parents and went to join Kiang and Niall with those of the survivors who didn’t require immediate medical attention. Komack joined them a moment later, exhaustion lining his face.

“We’re making arrangements to take everyone back to Earth,” he said quietly. “I can’t imagine anyone wants to stay here, but they can if that’s their choice. I can take about half the survivors on my ship and the Intrepid will be here in six hours for the rest.”

“How many of us survived?”

“732,” Niall replied quietly.

“I see. Is there any word about the Leighton’s?” Jim didn’t hold out much hope that Kevin had been mistaken, but it was hard to know that they and Hoshi had died when they finally thought it was over.

“Thomas Leighton was found dead, as Mr. Riley described,” Komack admitted. “Martha Leighton suffered burns and smoke inhalation, but she’ll live.”

Jim nodded, grief and tiredness plaguing him for a moment.

“I also have news for you about Tiberius Kirk.”

Jim forced himself to straighten and fully turn to face Komack, “Yes?”

“He’s asleep.”

“What does that mean?”

“He’s no longer in a coma,” Komack explained, “The Doctors tell me he opened his eyes briefly and called for you before falling back asleep. He should wake normally after he’s slept for a while.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Jim said. He took a few steps forward and whistled sharply, speaking when he had everyone’s attention. “For those who want it, transportation to Earth will be available in the next few hours.”

“Is it true that Hoshi’s dead?” Someone called from the crowd.

“It’s true,” Jim replied. “She was murdered by Lenore Kodos. As was Thomas Leighton, who risked his life and the safety of his family to help us.”

Soft weeping broke out amongst the crowd and Jim was quiet.

“And the executioner? Is it true he escaped?”

“What?” Jim asked in surprise, turning to look over his shoulder. “You have Kodos in custody, don’t you?”

Komack’s expression darkened, “He escaped in the chaos. We’re doing our best to find him.”

“And Lenore?” Jim demanded.

“Secure in the brig on my ship,” Komack offered.

Before Jim could fully process that Kodos had escaped, that the Governor was free, someone else called out a question. “What about the General?”

Jim felt himself smile a little, “They tell me that Tiberius woke briefly. He lives.”

A cheer rose up and Jim was abruptly reminded of when he had listened to the Governor declare Tiberius dead. The worthy had cheered with happiness, but it was nothing like this.

“Tiberius Kirk lives!”

People cheered and many more cried and moved to hug each other. Somehow Jim ended up in the middle of hundreds of people, more people than he could count hugging and touching him. He was exhausted by the time he was able to extract himself, but there was a defiant sort of happiness and he couldn’t stop smiling. His grief still lingered close to the surface, but for now he would celebrate that it was over and Tarsus IV was free.

He choked on the thought. Tarsus was free. It was over. Tiberius was alive. And now he could go, he could leave with Tiberius and do whatever the hell he wanted.

He detoured by the makeshift medical area to check on Tiberius, Kevin and Ely, all of whom were sleep, before going to find Spock and his parents. He dropped onto the sofa Spock was occupying and tucked himself against the Vulcan’s side.

“There are things we must discuss,” Spock spoke quietly.

“That must wait a while longer,” Sarek said, a touch of apology in his tone.

Amanda nodded, “Jim, you have some decisions to make.”

“About what?”

“Do you want to go back with the others or travel with us?” Amanda asked.

“I need to stay with Tiberius, Kevin and Ely.” Jim said, “And that also includes Martha and Katie.”

“Yes, we assumed that they would come with you,” Amanda said, “And the diplomatic transport has medical facilities equal to Captain Komack’s ship.”

Jim studied Spock’s face for a moment before looking back to Amanda, “I’d prefer to travel with you.”

“Very good. Do you plan to stay on Earth?”

Jim hesitated, “No. Tiberius and I never planned to go back there. Not long term anyway. I- I don’t get along well with my mother or my stepfather. We talked about going to Risa… anywhere warm.”

“Vulcan is quite warm,” Spock mentioned in an entirely too casual voice.

“Spock,” Sarek chastised, though there was no bite or real disapproval to his tone.

“I see,” Amanda said, “I believe you and Spock have something’s to discuss before we can proceed any further. However…”

“Yes?”

“There are two people who’d like to speak with you.”

“Who?”

“The first is Admiral Archer. And second is…” Amanda frowned a little, “Your Mother.”

Jim stilled in surprise before standing. He touched Spock’s shoulder briefly, “I’ll return in a few minutes.”

One of Komack’s officers was easily able to get him set up at a terminal and he took the call from Admiral Archer first. “Sir? I’m James Kirk. I was told you wanted to speak with me?”

Archer stared at him for a moment, his eyes red rimmed. “I’ve been told that Hoshi Sato and Takashi Kimura are dead.”

“Yes, sir,” Jim said quietly. “Taka never really recovered from the Revolution and died of pneumonia. Hoshi,” the words caught in his throat briefly, “She was murdered by Lenore Kodos. She saved my life. They were… they were good people.”

Archer offered a sad smile, “Captains, like parents I suppose, aren’t supposed to have favorites. But to tell you the truth, Hoshi was always my favorite. She didn’t even want to join the Enterprise, you know? I had to persuade her.” He laughed quietly, “She was afraid of space at first. Was she… was she in a lot of pain?”

“No,” Jim whispered. “No, she wasn’t.”

Archer was quiet for a moment, “I understand most if not all of the survivors are coming to Earth. Will you be among them?”

Jim nodded, “Yes, Admiral.”

“If it would not trouble you too much…” He took a deep breath, “Perhaps we could speak further when you get to Earth?”

Jim nodded, “I’d like that. Hoshi used to tell stories about her time on the Enterprise on the days that were particularly bad and… I’d really like to meet you, sir.”

“I’ll see you then, Jim.”

Jim stared at the blank screen for long moments. The conversation with Jonathon Archer had been painful, but he expected the conversation with his mother would be far worse. When he connected the wall he was too shocked to speak for a moment because it wasn’t his mother’s face staring back at him, but his brother’s.

“…Sam?”

“Jimmy? Holy hell, Jimmy, I’ve been trying to reach you for months. There is all this stuff about Tarsus IV on the news. Is it true? Are you okay?”

“If they’re saying that thousands of people were murdered by the government, then its true.”

“Thank god you’re okay.”

“I’m not okay, Sam,” Jim admitted. “I’ve been hiding underground for months without enough food or warmth and some of the best people I ever knew are dead.”

“Is Grandpa dead?”

“He’s alive.”

There was a voice and Sam’s face tightened briefly before he glanced over his shoulder briefly. “Mom’s here.”

“…Okay.”

Winona sat down next to Sam, but Jim ignored her. “Jim. I heard you tell Sam its all true?”

“Why are you there, Sam?”

“Got caught before I made it out of Iowa,” Sam admitted, “But we’ve been talking and she’s trying. When are you coming home?”

“I’ll be on a transport later today.”

“Look, Jimmy,” Winona began, “Whatever’s happened, whatever trouble your Grandfather caused, maybe it would be better to stay there until its all sorted out. I don’t want you to come home and just bring trouble with you as always. If we’re going to let you come home, there are going to have to be some ground rules and I’m going to have to talk to Frank. He’s at work right now.”

“I’m not in any trouble,” Jim cut her off. “And I don’t need your permission to go anywhere. Starfleet is evacuating all the survivors of the genocide.”

“Genocide?” Winona repeated dubiously, “Don’t let Tiberius’ flair for paranoia convince you that there was some crazy conspiracy there to kill thousands of people. The news is saying that its mostly just propaganda from an agricultural dispute that got out of hand.”

Jim took a moment to really look at her, but the fear and hurt he expected to appear didn’t. Maybe it was because he was too exhausted to manage it or maybe he was just numb to her. “I know that Tiberius begged you to let me leave when things got bad and you refused.”

“I don’t know what your Grandfather told you, but-”

“I know that he begged you to let me come home, and you left me here.”

He thought of Martha Leighton first, knowing that she had nearly died from trying to protect Ely from Lenore. Then he thought of Amanda and how damn happy she looked every time she saw her son. Lastly, he thought of Hoshi. He pushed aside the image of her body, and thought of all the times she had hugged him, or kissed him on the forehead. He remembered when they’d seem the Federation ships and she’d hugged him and he’d been so full of hope he thought he would explode from it. And the last thing she said to him ‘you did good, kid,’ before she’d kissed him on the forehead and gone to get the others still hiding in the woods. The words echoed around in his brain. He looked at Winona, but he thought of Martha, Amanda and Hoshi and realized he had nothing left to say to her.

“I don’t think we have anything else to discuss.”

She sighed, “I won’t tolerate this sort of overdramatic behavior when you’re home, Jim. When should we expect you?”

“I’m not coming to Iowa.”

“Where are you being evacuated to?” Sam asked quickly. “San Francisco?”

“Probably.”

“Do we need to go there to meet you?” Sam asked.

“I don’t see why you can’t just come to Iowa. You aren’t a child.”

“I’m glad you think so. Then it won’t be so shocking to you when I make my own decisions. I’m not coming to Iowa.”

She huffed, “I see spending time with your Grandfather has only made you more willful. I have had it with your attitude, James Kirk! If I have to come to San Francisco to bring you home, you will regret it.”

There was a knock at the door and Jim turned to look over his shoulder as Amanda slipped into the room, however she stilled when she caught sight of his expression. “It’s time to leave, Jim. I volunteered to come fetch you.”

“Sorry,” Jim began, “I lost track of time.”

She waved him off, “Shall I tell them you need more time?”

“No,” Jim replied quickly, “I don’t want to stay in this hellhole for any longer than I have to.”

Amanda moved to stand beside him, “Is this your mother?”

“Yeah.”

Amanda smiled, “You should be proud. Jim is a hero. He saved a lot of lives.”

“Who are you exactly?”

“I’m Amanda. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Well, Amanda,” Winona said shortly. “I see that Jim has gotten you caught up in one of his little manipulations. You would do well to ignore everything that-”

Jim cut off the connection and remained still until Amanda wrapped her arms around his shoulders, “I see you weren’t exaggerating.”

“I really wasn’t,” Jim agreed. “I feel like I should be crying, but there don’t seem to be any tears left. I gave them all to Hoshi.”

“You were close with Hoshi?”

“I didn’t see her that often after the Revolution, but I looked up to her. She used to play cards with me and Kevin and Ely before the Revolution when Martha, Thomas, Tiberius and Taka would talk about politics. I feel like someone stabbed me in the stomach and I miss her,” Jim admitted. “Somehow, after all that’s happened, her death hurts the most. She gave her life for me. She shouldn’t have done that.”

Amanda kept her arm wrapped around Jim’s shoulders as they walked to the Ambassador’s transport, “She wanted you to be safe. She wanted you to live, Jim.”

“My Grandfather told me that I shouldn’t spend my life trying to live up to my father’s sacrifice. But I want to honor him. And I want to honor Hoshi.”

“I have no doubt that however you chose to life your life, Jim, they would both be extremely proud of you.”

And despite that he was sure he had no tears left, Jim felt wetness on his cheeks at her words and he couldn’t help but laugh as they boarded the ship.

“Where’s Spock?”

“Waiting for you,” Amanda said. “He should be on the public observation desk,” Amanda advised, before kissing his cheek. “Sarek made arrangements to have your Grandfather, the Leighton’s and the Riley’s transported on board. I’ll go make sure they’re settled.”

“I should go with you.”

She took his hands; “Let me do this for you, Jim. And go talk to Spock, okay? I’ll send for you immediately if anyone of them wake and I’ll make sure that Katie isn’t left alone.”

“Thank you, Amanda.”

As Amanda had predicted, Jim found Spock on the public observation deck, his hands crossed behind his back as he watched the ship break the atmosphere. Jim joined him, pressing against him behind and dropping a kiss on the back of his neck. Jim kissed his mouth when Spock turned in his arms.

“We need to talk,” Spock whispered.

“About what?”

“Mind melds and Vulcan mental bonds. It’s important that you know, Jim.”

Jim kissed his cheek quickly, “Can you tell me while you hold me?”

Spock seemed vaguely perplexed by the notion, but nodded after a moment. “I believe that I can.”

“Excellent. Lay it on me.”

The days to Earth passed slowly, but Jim was content. Martha Leighton woke first, then Ely, and their grief for Thomas was difficult to watch. Ely planted herself at Kevin’s bedside, moving only when forced to, until Kevin woke up.

“Hey, you,” Kevin whispered when he opened his eyes.

Ely smiled, “Hey yourself. You had me worried.”

“Not as worried as you had me,” Kevin replied. “I’m probably going to go grey because of you.”

Jim spent a few hours everyday sitting by Tiberius’ bedside, talking or reading to him. More often than not, Spock accompanied him and could sometimes be talked into again reciting Vulcan poetry. However that day Spock had drifted off, lulled by the sound of Jim’s voice as he read to Tiberius from The Alchemist.

“This is what we call love. When you are loved, you can do anything in creation. When you are loved, there's no need at all to understand what's happening, because everything happens within you,” Jim read, pausing to turn and smile at Spock’s face relaxed and open in sleep.

 

Jim turned at the sound of someone clearing their throat, but there was no one behind him.

 

“New boyfriend, Jimmy?”

 

Jim almost dislodged Spock from the chair as he threw himself towards Tiberius. “Tiberius!”

 

Tiberius let out a sound of surprise when Jim hugged him, but accepted the embrace and allowed Jim to help him sit up. “I take it back.”

 

“Take what back?”

 

“What I said about getting old. I ache and it sucks.” He looked around in faint confusion, “Are we on a starship?”

 

“Yeah,” Jim admitted, “I have a lot to tell you. But first, I want to introduce you to someone. Spock, I want you to meet my Grandfather, Tiberius Kirk. Tiberius, this is Xtmprszntwlfd S'chn T'gai Spock.”

 

Jim took a moment to enjoy the surprise on Spock’s face at his pronunciation. He wasn’t anywhere as good as Amanda yet, but he had time. And he was looking forward to it.

 

___________  
  
[Cast Photo](http://isa-iadel.tumblr.com/post/116144692844/i-finally-finished-uploading-imaginary-numbers)


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